Come learn about the wonderful world of mushrooms with Stesha Warren. This class will take you on a journey of how to identify mushrooms in the wild. You will learn about several edible mushroom species while foraging outdoors, bringing them back into a classroom setting, and looking step by step into the mushroom groups.

Where: Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center, 6601 Devils Racetrack Rd, Four Oaks, NC 27524

When: June 27, 2020, 9am-5pm

Accommodations: Howell Woods Environmental Center has lodging available for $10 per night for this event. Please call (919) 938-0115 to book your stay.

The Rudolph Howell & Son Environmental Learning Center, or Howell Woods, is a unique 2,800-acre natural resource designed to provide excellent educational experiences while fostering environmental stewardship. At Howell Woods, you can experience a variety of environmental education programs and recreational activities.  Go hiking, camping, canoeing, bird watching, hunting, fishing, and more!

Class Itinerary:

1. Introduction to mushroom lifecycles
2. Mushroom Ecology
3. Collecting and storing edible mushrooms
4. Foray
5. Foray collections walk-through - Major groups ID
6. 15 easy edible wild mushrooms

List of edible wild mushrooms you will learn about:

• 1. Chanterelles
• 2. Oyster mushrooms
• 3. Black trumpets
• 4. Morels
• 5. Hen of the woods
• 6. Chicken of the woods
• 7. Blue milky
• 8. Wood ear
• 9. Golden and burgundy milkies
• 10. Green quilted russula
• 11.Beefsteak
• 12. Lionsmane
• 13. Hedgehog mushrooms
• 14. Puffballs
• 15. Cauliflower

Recommended field guides:

Mushrooms of the Southeast: Todd F. Elliott & Steven L Stephenson

Appalachian Mushrooms: A field guide: Walter E. Sturgeon

A Field Guide to Mushrooms of the Carolinas: Alan E. Bessette, Arleen R. Bessette, Michael W. Hopping

What to bring:

1. Mushroom hunting basket
2. Knife
3. Bug spray
4. Individual paper bags
5. Field pocket guide
6. Black and white paper
7. Pen/pencil
8. Pocket journal
9. Water