Mushroom foraging and raptor watching: I'm not bluffing

Today I found a chanterelle the size of my face and a bunch of lobster mushrooms at Frontenac State Park. It finally dawned on me that a fertile river valley tends to produce the best mushrooms. As I've gotten more comfortable identifying the edibles, I've grown even more interested in mycology. I contacted a woman who's certified to ID mushrooms in Minnesota, and got to chatting with her. She revealed that she suspects mushrooms are probably from outer space, and I can't say that I disagree. The symbiotic relationship we have with them is rather dormant with fears circulating around the poisonous varieties, but it's a potentially powerful relationship.

While we were out there we watched a red-tailed hawk, a bald eagle, a possible osprey or else dark molt hawk, and a turkey vulture all in the same binocular viewfinder. Raptors and mushrooms, my kind of day.

Was it some kind of good luck symbol to see all of those birds at once? The Mississippi river bluffs provide.

#raptors #mushrooms #foraging #minnesota #minnesotastateparks #nature