4 Fall Mushrooms to Find Around Seattle

Fall in Seattle means golden larches, crisp mountain air and gorgeous autumn days! 

It’s also the perfect time of year to check out the many mushrooms growing in the woods, and there are certainly plenty of mushrooms to see! 

Here’s a bit about what mushrooms are, where to find them and even a few common species you’re likely to find! 

Fall mushrooms around Seattle

What are mushrooms, exactly?

Mushrooms are all over the place and come in many shapes, sizes and colors. But despite their impressive appearance, mushrooms are just one small part of a much larger organism: mycelium. 

If an apple is the fruiting body of an apple tree, then mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of mycelium. Mycelium is the underground system of the above-ground mushrooms that we see scattered across the forest floor, and it works in a similar fashion to a root system in trees and plants. 

Mushroom spores act like seeds from which tiny tubes of tissue grow outwards. Those tendrils of tissue, called hyphae, continue to grow and spread underground, splitting off and reconnecting to form a large web-like structure that we call mycelium. So if you’ve ever rolled over a decaying log to find a mass of white, web-like tendrils woven together, then you’ve found mycelium! 

This mycelium grows into and around the organic matter around it and uses enzymes to break down the substrate surrounding it. Once those nutrients have been broken down enough, the mycelium transports the nutrients through the web to strengthen and sustain it. And because the mycelium is connected to all the plants around it, those plants also benefit from those nutrients, too!

This short video below explains how mycelium connects to trees and matter around it, but if you’re looking for a more detailed explanation of how trees talk to each other in this way, check out this super-informative TED talk by ecologist Suzanne Simard. 

A mushroom pops up from the mycelium once there are enough nutrients running through the network, and that mushroom is what contains the spores that will start the process all over again — just like an apple contains apple seeds that can grow another tree. 

Where to look for mushrooms

Mushrooms pop up all year long, but most of the activity happens between March and October when the ground is not too cold and the weather is warmer. Generally, though, you'll find more mushrooms in wetter areas where there is plenty of moisture and not too much heat, making October in Washington the perfect time to find mushrooms!

Since mycelium feeds on decay, forests are the perfect place to look for mushrooms. Certain mushrooms are also pretty particular about the trees they live under, so look out for certain trees like oaks, pine, beech or birch, to name a few. Some oyster mushrooms, for example, usually grow on dead birch trees!

Here are some more signs you’re near mushrooms:

• Other fungi! If you see a few small mushrooms growing nearby, there are likely more around. 
• Moss. Moss grows in low light and moist environments, just like mushrooms! Seeing moss is a good sign that the environment is just right for many mushrooms to grow in.
• Small clearings. If your hike through the woods takes you past a clearing with a few beams of sunlight filtering through the trees, you may find some mushrooms close by. These clearings often have small green plants growing there, too, in contrast to heavily needle-covered soil in shadier areas. 
• Smell. Some mushrooms have a powerful smell, and sometimes it’s strong enough to catch a whiff before even setting eyes on them! If you smell that damp, musty mushroom smell, then there are probably some mushrooms nearby!
• Decay. The forest floor is full of rotting logs, leaves and other organic matter, and areas near water are always a good place to look, too.
• Water. Some mushrooms grow right on the banks of creeks and water sources, while some grow just a few yards away. Either way, you’re likely to find at least some water-loving mushrooms near woodland streams.

Types of mushrooms you can find

There are approximately 120,000 known species of fungi out there, with an estimated 3.8 million believed to exist on the planet! That being said, there’s no way we can go over every kind and category of mushrooms you might find on your forest walk, but there are some basic shapes that you’re likely to encounter out there.

The gilled mushroom is your generic, picture-book mushroom that takes on a shape similar to the button mushrooms you can buy in a store. There’s a cap (usually circular in shape) with a stalk and some gills underneath, and many mushrooms have these basic elements in some form or another.

Shelf mushrooms usually grow on logs and trees, where they form “shelves” of fungi that attach to the wood from one edge. These can show up as single “shelves” like polypores, or they can appear in clusters like oyster mushrooms.

Puffballs look just like they sound — rounded “balls” that grow directly out of the ground — and coral mushrooms look like pieces of ocean reefs that have started growing above-ground. 

There are also jelly mushrooms that take varying gelatinous forms, usually in bright colors and with gooey textures. 

Here’s a collection of various fungi, just to show the wide differences in color, size, shape and texture!

Mushrooms you might find around Seattle

Mushrooms are everywhere in the fall season, so keep an eye out for these common mushrooms as you hike through forests near Seattle!

Bonus: You can use an app like iNaturalist and Shroomify to help identify any mushrooms you might find! They are great to use, but not 100% comprehensive, so always have a mushroom expert check your mushrooms before making a positive identification!

Chicken of the woods

Named for its chicken-like taste and texture, this colorful mushroom is bright orange and yellow in color and grows in shelves on trees. The clusters of wavy mushrooms are usually orange toward the center and radiate to yellow on the edges, and they can grow in bunches the size of a soccer ball!

Coral tooth and lion’s mane

Coral tooth and lion’s mane are bouncy, white mushrooms that grow out of dead logs close to the ground. Lion’s mane has long hair-like tendrils that hang down, while the coral tooth has coral-like branches that radiate out from the center. 

Boletes

Boletes are a category of mushroom that contain at least 300 species, so you’ll probably find a few different kinds in any given forest. 

These mushrooms are identifiable by the cap’s spongy underside, which is made of tiny pores. One popular kind of bolete is the Porcini, which is used widely in cooking and baking!

Red-banded polypore

These shelf mushrooms are commonplace in nearly every forest around Seattle, so you’re likely to see at least a few of them on your hike. Red-banded polypores are hoof-shaped and grow in singles on coniferous trees, and the distinct band of red on the edge is what gives the mushroom its name. 

Next time you’re out doing some fall hiking around our luxury Seattle apartments, keep an eye out for these common mushroom species and any other fascinating fungi you stumble across!

Enjoy!

Pin it!

Featured photo courtesy Pixabay/ekamelev