In Honor of the Mushroom Festival

I have to say that having people run with a passion far enough to make it into a festival is a level of fan devotion that I aspire to. Not being able to attend this years festival, I had a quick run around the web and found a few fun resources for mushroom hunters in Colorado. The 12th annual King Boletus Mushroom Festival held in Buena Vista this summer is one of several gatherings in the state that encourage Coloradoans to explore the fungical (that would be magical fungi rammed together) world that exists all around us. The Colorado Mycological Society has a number of excellent resources including this article from Outside Magazine that gives the aspiring mushroomer a quick overview. I feel like I’ve heard lots of warnings about mushrooms in the wild, Marilyn Shaw, a CMS member who specializes in toxicology and serves as a consultant for the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center (RMPDC)… points out “Actually, almost [all] mushrooms aren’t poisonous, which is usually a surprise to people.” In fact, according to Shaw, very few are life-threatening and the mortality rate in the United States from mushroom poisonings averages less than 1.5 per year. If you missed the festival this year, it is worth adding to your list for next summer. And while the varieties in the following video do not grow locally, it certainly gave me a greater appreciation of those that do. (The video shows mold growing first - the mushrooms show up at about 30 seconds. Trust me, it’s worth the wait!)