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Introduction
Let me say this right up front—there are no old, bold mushroom foragers, only old wise, well-trained mushroom foragers. Good doses of caution and common sense are important to remember if you wish to use wild fungi and plants for food. Become an expert first, and then carefully use your knowledge. I have high hopes this field guide and others you may collect over the years, will help you enjoy the beauty and, with great care and caution, the flavors of the wild fungi that can be found in our fields and forests.
But honestly, most fungi covered in this and other field guides are not really edible. The real purpose of a field guide like this one is to help the curious learn more about the species of fleshy fungi in a particular area. At best guess, several thousand species of mushrooms and other fleshy fungi occur in northeastern North America. Most field guides rarely cover more than 400–500 species. Of course, a good field guide should cover the bulk of the more commonly collected species, and that is the case here. In addition, I present at least a hundred species that are not to be found in any other existing field guide covering North American
mushrooms.
Realize, however, that even if you have several good field guides covering a broad range of species, you will still find species not covered. That is one of the exciting things about studying fungi—you might just discover a species from your area that is a new report for the region. You can share that information via several avenues, but a convenient one is MushroomObserver.org. You are allowed to post information on your finds at this site after joining the group. You will need to learn some photography skills, since this is a site for posting images of your finds as well as information on the features of a species and its ecology. Please take spore prints and provide that information also.
So with all that in mind, bon voyage. Take this field guide and begin the journey. If you began your studies some years ago now, I hope this newest addition will help you continue your journey of learning about the wild mushrooms around us.
Geographical Scope of This Guide
The area covered in this guide is roughly that of the eastern hardwood forests of North America. These territories include New Brunswick, Newfoundland, most of Quebec and Ontario, extending south through Minnesota to Illinois and eastward through the states surrounding the Great Lakes regions to West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and then up the coast to Maine. This area includes deciduous and coniferous forests, bogs, and alpine habitats that offer a wide range of species, many of which are only found in this region in North America.
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