Wild mushroom class moved to Carriage House

The free “Wild Mushroom Identification” presentation on Saturday, February 22, 2025, continues to grow in popularity. To accommodate the increasing number of people, the event has been moved from the Felt Mansion ballroom to the Carriage House. The Carriage House is the first building on the right as you drive into the Felt Estate grounds, 6597 138th Ave. There is parking in front of the building.

The Carriage House also offers better accessibility for all participants.

The free mushroom event is at 1 p.m. No registration is required but organizers ask those interested to send an email to Parks@laketowntwp.org letting them know they will be attending.

About the class

This free introductory class by Chris Swinson of Mycophile’s Garden will focus on providing participants with the best resources for learning to identify both edible and toxic wild mushrooms that grow in Michigan. The class will discuss the physical features of mushrooms and terminology, and where and when to find different species.

“In recent years, interest in wild mushrooms has exploded partly due to increase access to information about them via the Internet as well as increased access to mushroom enthusiast communities,” said Swinson. “We saw a really marked increase during Covid as well when people were spending more time connecting with nature and learning about new things. There have been a number of great books and documentaries in recent years that have exposed people as well.”

The event will include items for sale such as mushroom grow blocks, fresh mushrooms, jerky and mushroom tincture.

“Mushrooms are common and abundant in Michigan particularly in the fall. There can be as many as 60 or more edible varieties growing that time of year, around 30 of those are common and easy to identify with just a bit of research,” Swinson said.

There are fewer toxic mushrooms than edible mushrooms and most of the commonly eaten ones are distinct and would be difficult to misidentify, he added.

“So mushroom hunting, whether for edibility or not, is something that can be easy and accessible to anyone. Your level of commitment will determine what types of mushrooms you might find or eat but anyone can get out and identify them,” Swinson said.

Winter events

This is the second in a series of free winter classes sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.

The first was a hands-only CPR class taught by the Graafschap Fire Department in January.

On Saturday, March 29 at 10 a.m., join West Michigan CISMA and the Allegan Conservation District to learn how to identify and manage common woody invasive species and explore the impacts of the forest pest hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) on West Michigan.

An April program on butterfly gardens is pending.