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37. Turkey Tail Mushroom (Trametes versicolor): these bracket like mushrooms grow on deciduous trees and fallen logs; they have off-white pores instead of gills.
THE BURROW | 01
discovery park: wolf TREE trail magnolia, wa 534 acres
Usually green most of the year, the Wolf Creek Trail looks like the home of the Lost Boys in Peter Pan, with wooden walkways laid carefully over swampy mud and skunk cabbage, big leaves and reeds growing above your head so that all you can see is the path in front of you. However, during my visit in winter, those plants bent back and browned for the season, exposing the mystery of that hidden pathway. Like an exposed battlefield after winter’s wrath, few mushrooms appeared laying around. Variations of the Turkey Tail Mushroom grew abundantly on the fallen logs, blending into the brown palette of the landscape. Often mistaken for “False Turkey Tail” or Stereum Ostrea, this mushroom is hard to identify. The photo on the right, supposedly Turkey Tail, is actually very small and thicker
Near the south parking lot in Discovery Park, this trail runs through a swamp-like area with board walks cutting through skunk cabbage and ferns. During winter, however, the landscape changes. Most of the green plants are dead, leaving only the mushrooms and lichen to stand out.
than some reference photos. However, the False mushroom does not have pores, where as the real Turkey Tail does. Like Polypore mushrooms, algae can cover the bracket and turn it a bright shade of green, making the identification process even more confusing. On page 72, a single Mild Lactarius grows through the layers of fallen leaves. Somewhat older, the stem shows signs of age with wrinkles. Although seasonal plants are dying, the mushrooms, lichen, moss algae and other fungi thrive with the decomposing of these other plants. Come Spring time, the skunk cabbage will take over the area once again. Also called the Swamp Lantern, the flower emits a strong odor which attracts pollinators. The flower is a bright yellow, gravy-boat shape with a thick spathe in the center. I’ve
found that the odor mixes with the swampy, humid smell of the forest and doesn’t really smell as bad as I thought it would. What I love most about Discovery Park is the constantly changing landscape, plants of each season appearing and disappearing. It has the educational benefits of a greenhouse or botanical garden, but controlled completely by the fate of nature. ➷