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In Search of Wild Colorado Mushrooms -- And Rain

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American



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Want to learn how to identify some of this stuff? See me.

Each summer I teach a course about wild mushrooms for the Boulder County Nature Association. This year there are still spots left in the class this year, and if you live in the Greater Front Range area and might be interested in learning more about wild mushrooms, have a look at the course description and consider signing up! It is a fee-based class for one evening lecture and two Saturday field classes. Full disclosure: I supplement my meager writer's income with the money I earn from teaching the class.

I am a bit worried, however, about there being mushrooms this year. As you may be aware, there are currently several major wildfires sweeping through the Front Range, including the second biggest and the first most destructive in state history (the High Park Fire near Fort Collins). Temperatures hit 102F in Boulder Saturday for the first time since 1954. It's starting to look pretty crispy (and in some cases, scorched) out there. I'll be doing my rain dances come mid-July.