With an increase in rain, an increase of colorful fungi has also shown up.
Mushrooms come from a larger underground organism as mycelium, filaments that look a lot like mold. They remain invisible to the eye they create mushrooms, which then create spores.
Why they appear after rainfall isn’t fully understood.
Kathie Hodge, a mycology professor at Cornell University, says it may have something to do with mushrooms requiring moisture in the air to spread spores.
Spores collect water, which gives them energy, and it’s possible that by collecting more water they have more energy to spread out further instead of just dropping to the ground.
Mushrooms are found most commonly in forests and state parks, but parks do not allow mushroom picking. State forests do allow mushroom gathering.
Hodge says it takes research and training to be able to tell the difference between poisonous and non-poisonous mushrooms. She suggests reading a book and using a field guide if gathering mushrooms.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected]