Friends of the River Banks
Contact FORB
  • Home
  • Calendar
  • Priorities
  • About Us
  • What's Out There?
  • Important Issues
  • FORB Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Resources
  • Wildlife Species at SLP
  • Insects at Sutter's Landing Park
  • Education Materials
  • iNaturalist Observations
  • Walk on the Wildside@

FUN "FUNGUS" DAY AT SUTTER’S LANDING by Nita

3/6/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
On Saturday, February 13, about 40 "fungus" fans gathered at Sutter’s Landing Park to learn about riparian fungi. Ryan LaPorte shared his knowledge about each species we found and some we had found in previous years. He first presented some background. Mushrooms are reproductive or fruiting structures and they represent only a fraction of the fungal mass. The mycelium, or vegetative part of the fungus, makes up most of the fungus. On the underside of most mushrooms are gills, which house millions of tiny powdery spores. Air currents disperse the spores and these germinate when temperature and humidity conditions are favorable.
​
Unlike green plants, fungi lack chlorophyll, which means they can’t manufacture their own food and must derive nutrients from other sources. Some fungi can get nutrients by partnering with algae—or sometimes bacteria formerly known as blue–green algae. We spotted several colorful examples of lichens, the resulting organism, growing on stones and tree limbs. It’s a convenient arrangement: the algae live among the fungal mycelium and gather nutrients for their fungal partners, which in turn provide shelter for the algae. Although lichens grow on trees, they’re not parasitic. Several animals eat them, including wild turkeys, squirrels, and deer—and various birds use lichens for nesting material. In California, we have more than 1,900 species and the lace lichen is our State Lichen.

Most fungi are beneficial decomposers, breaking down organic matter such as animal droppings and dead trees. Some are parasitic on plants. Several of the mushrooms we saw, such as shelf fungi, were sprouting out of living trees. This meant that inside the tree, the fungal mycelium had taken hold.

Fungi range from microscopic in size to enormous. The so-called humongous fungus, a single organism in Oregon, has thrived for at least 2,400 years and covers over 3 square miles.  
  
As we got started, Ryan cautioned us that mushroom hunters err on the side of caution: eating toxic mushrooms can result in liver damage and death. Ryan added that “every mushroom is edible, but sometimes they’re only edible once.” Toxic species often resemble edible ones. Experienced mushroom hunters use a variety of diagnostic characters to verify specimens they plan to eat. Unless they know for certain that a species is edible they stay away from mushrooms that have parasol-shaped caps and are small and brown. They also carefully examine the spore color—white spores often mean danger.

Mushrooms can accumulate heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, which is why it’s best to harvest edible mushrooms away from roadsides and railroad tracks.

The group saw brown deer mushrooms, Pluteus cervinus, growing on tree roots near the river. Ink cap mushrooms in the genus Coprinopsis were widespread on the river bank. These mushrooms are edible, but if eaten with alcohol, will cause severe vomiting. We also saw some colorful sulphur shelf mushrooms, also known as chicken of the woods or Laetiporus. These are edible and taste like chicken, although not everyone can eat them with impunity.

Unlike previous years, we didn’t see turkey tails (a shelf fungus) or oyster mushrooms, which are usually plentiful on cottonwood trees.
​
Ryan recommended a few resources that will help novices get started, including a natural history and identification guide by David Arora, All that the rain promises and more: a hip pocket guide to Western mushrooms. 


Picture
Ryan discusses the world of fungi before our event this year.
Picture
Gathering to search for mushrooms this year
Picture
Photo from previous FORB fungi event
Picture
Fungi fotos from 2015 event
Picture
Photo from previous FORB fungi event
Picture
Photo from previous FORB fungi event
0 Comments

Great Backyard Bird Count at SLP 2/13/16 and much more!

3/2/2016

0 Comments

 
The GBBC overlapped our FORB fungi event. We'll have a report here soon on how that great event went. Meanwhile, here's a list of the ebird count made on the same day. A couple of avian highlights then were a female Northern harrier flying low over the former landfill mound. Perhaps the species will nest there again this year? A Prairie falcon was also seen up close foraging over the mound with lots of meadowlarks hiding in the tall green grass there too. 

Earlier in February, Robert Sewell had some great sea lion observations to share below too.

US-CA-Sacramento-American River Parkway - 38.5891x-121.4579
Feb 13, 2016 Sally & Dale
11:44 AM
Traveling
2.00 miles
120 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.1.5 Build 44

10 Canada Goose
6 Common Goldeneye -- Male/female
10 Common Merganser
4 Double-crested Cormorant
2 Turkey Vulture
1 Northern Harrier -- Female
2 Red-shouldered Hawk
2 Red-tailed Hawk
2 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
2 Anna's Hummingbird -- 1 male displaying
1 Prairie Falcon
1 Black Phoebe
2 American Crow
12 Tree Swallow
1 Oak Titmouse -- Calling/singing
3 Bushtit
3 European Starling
6 American Pipit
2 Yellow-rumped Warbler
1 Spotted Towhee
50 Western Meadowlark
2 House Finch

Number of Taxa: 22

Ca. Sea Lion feeding at SLP 2/6/16


Friends of the river,

When I arrived at Sutters Landing Park last Sat. Feb. 6th just before sunset, expecting to enjoy the last rays of the day, I saw a whirling flock of gulls diving in the same general area, next a noticed large ripples of water coming toward the rive banks. I thought this must be a Ca. Sea Lion who has made a catch!

As my steps quickened, it didn't take long to confirm my guess was right. There it was, just up river towards the north bank, churning the normally tranquil surface, as it tore large chunks of flesh from what must have been a large fish. From the time I arrived, it continued to feed for over a half hour! All the time the gulls where making off with every morsel they could grab. I imagine as much, if not more action was happening below the surface, with all sizes of fish grabbing whatever they could!

​Don’t we enjoy the camaraderie and connectedness felt between strangers, at nature moments like this? 
Another story for another day.

Robert
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Down the hatch!
Picture
When I enlarge this one, it looks like it had cleaned off all the flesh from it's back
Picture
The gulls where relentless! One is almost submerged!
Picture
One last big mouth full before it slowly and with a full belly, swam off down river, into the sunset
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

    Author

    various contributors

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    October 2011
    September 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Education
    Mushrooms
    Nature
    River
    Swainson
    Wildlife

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.