The Mycorrhizal Connection

by Fred Rhoades Fall has arrived in the Pacific Northwest, and many people turn their attentions to searching for certain species of mushrooms that show up this time of year in our woods, fields and gardens. Mushrooms are just the visible indication "fruiting" from an invisible network (mycelium) of tiny [Read More...]

By |2022-03-08T18:10:29-08:00November 30, 2021|Life Before Flowers|

A Tale of Two Lichens

by Fred Rhoades • It was the best of habitats and there was Lobaria pulmonaria. • It was the worst of habitats and there was Hypogymnia physodes. Wouldn’t you like to easily tell how good the air you breathe is? Knowing your lichens allows you to do this. For this article I’ll [Read More...]

By |2022-03-10T07:37:56-08:00March 26, 2021|Life Before Flowers|

It Takes Two to Tango

Figure 1. Old growth conifer forest with rich diversity of bryophytes.photo: Fred M. Rhoades by Fred Rhoades Perhaps there is no other group of plants that typifies the Pacific Northwest west-of-the-Cascades forests more than the bryophytes. It is these simple plants that give our temperate rain forests their [Read More...]

By |2022-03-10T13:58:54-08:00August 25, 2020|Life Before Flowers|

Whatcom County Morels

by Fred Rhoades Springtime turns a mycologist’s attention to morels, one of the most desirable of edible fungi. If you want lots of morels, go east of the mountains (see below). Our choices in the western part of the county are limited and more sparsely distributed. First a bit on [Read More...]

By |2022-03-10T18:02:38-08:00May 10, 2020|Life Before Flowers|
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