When winter rains fall, life that was dormant underground begins to make its appearance. Mushrooms pop up all over our region – from the forest floor to your own backyard! In this story, we followed a group of Sonoma State University students and community naturalists as they identified and collected fungi during a guided mushroom blitz at Osborn Preserve in Penngrove, Sonoma County. The blitz was led by Dr. Melina Kozanitas, a postdoctoral researcher who studies fire, plant pathogens, and mycology. Explore the fascinating world of fungi on Bay Area Bountiful.

 

Produced by Chelsea Wood and Isabel Fischer

 

Special Thanks to

Dr. Melina Kozanitas

Osborn Preserve & Center for Environmental Inquiry

Kerry Wininger

Makayla Freed

Raquel Guevara-Bolaños

Jesica Rodriguez

Sage Harmon

Roxane Grechman

Adrienne Grechman

Nikki Zecerri

Ellyse Cappellano

Victoria Brunal

Emily Ledford

Hale Garcia-Dean

Jess Schmieg

Tiffany Ko

John Skanscomiz

 

Photos of hyphae by

Laurel Fan / Wikimedia Commons

André-Ph. D. Picard / Wikimedia Commons