What to see: Because of all the wonderful moisture we’ve been receiving from above, followed by days of rather warmish temps and bits of sun, we are blessed as we were in 2024 with a plethora of fungal fruiting bodies of many kinds. So, we must go fungi hunting (not for foraging, just admiring)! Lisa Couper, our most well-rounded and knowledgeable naturalist, will be joining us in the hunt. Magnolia Ranch (formerly Straza Ranch, and adjacent to Cronan Ranch) is a local wonderful recreation area off Hwy 49 north of Coloma providing habitats ranging from riparian habitats (along the South Fork of the American River and between Greenwood and Hastings Creeks), grassland, and oak woodland. There are stands of conifers, including incense cedar, Douglas-fir, Ponderosa pine, and foothill pine; an old built rock wall with mosses, ferns, and other herbaceous plants; grasslands harboring baby blue eyes and five spot in spring; and old oak woodlands of valley, blue, California black, and interior live oaks. In 2024, we also noted a profusion of fungi fruiting bodies (e.g. mushrooms), so let’s see what treasures we can find in late January! Which fungal fruiting bodies pop up is highly variable, from week to week and from year to year, even at the same location. This speaks to the incredible fungal diversity hidden in the soil; just because you haven’t seen a fruiting body from a particular species doesn’t mean it isn’t present – just the right set of conditions for the fruiting body to grow may not have yet occurred!

Difficulty: Easy. We’ll be walking about 2 – 3 miles total, on mostly flat terrain. There is a pit toilet at the parking lot.

What to bring: Water, snacks/lunch, insect repellent, sunscreen. Best to wear good hiking footwear and a hat. You may wish to bring your camera and a field guide to fungi, such as the Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America, by Davis, Sommer, and Menge, or What the Rain Brings and More by David Aurora.

When: Friday, January 30, 10 am – about 2 pm.

RSVP for Field Trip