Hunting for Winter Mushrooms

By tych0_21 | MyMycoBlog | 6 Mar 2022

While the ice and snow still dominate the forests where I live, there are still fungi to be found by the discerning eye. At this time of the year, when the vast majority of fungi are locked away within the frozen earth, only the heartiest of species can hope to make their presence known.

Virtually all fungi that I find in the winter months are saprophytes, species that live on dead and dying woody plants. Some are as small as one's fingernail, while others are massive shelves weighing several kilograms and capable of holding the weight of a fully grown adult.

Since many fungi grow in close, or even exclusive, association with specific tree species, knowing one's local trees is often a helpful aid in finding one's desired fungi. Rather than aimlessly wandering the woods with one's eyes glued to the forest floor (which in itself can be a fruitful technique), it is often most efficacious to scan the forest for the trees most closely associated with the fungi one wishes to find first and focus their hunt on this location. This tactic is especially beneficial in the cold of winter when virtually all fungi will be found growing on living or dead tree matter.

Birch trees (Genus Betula) in particular are a favorite host tree of mine to search for at this time of the year. In addition to their individual beauty, birch trees are common hosts of various fungal species that not only survive but thrive during the harsh winter months. Such species include the Birch Polypore (Fomitopsis betulina), the Hoof Fungus/Tinder Conk (Fomes fomentarius) and Chaga (Inonotus obliquus). On this particular foray into the woods I sought out birch trees for this precise reason, and I was rewarded with a stand of dead and dying birch that displayed all three of these beautiful and beneficial species.

Hoof Fungus (Fomes fomentarius):

Birch Polypore (Fomitopsis betulina):

Chaga (Inonotus obliquus):
Suspected to be Chaga fungus due to appearance and host tree, could not get close enough to confirm

Apart from the species growing from the birch trees, other exciting finds included a large poplar bracket adorned with moss as well as a collection of sturdy, dark brackets that, to my best knowledge, likely belong to the Genus Phellinus. While the smallest of these brackets were only a few centimeters in width, the largest where easily 30-40 centimeters across and 15-25 cm thick.

Poplar Bracket (Rigidoporus populinus):

Genus Phellinus:

Though the variety of fungi available to be discovered is undoubtedly less than what is afforded during the rest of the year, hunting for fungi in the winter can be just as rewarding if you know where to look!

Below are some other species found while on my walk through the woods.

Turkey-tail (Trametes vesicolor):