j-bird
Moderator
Over the weekend my 10 year old comes to me and she asks if I could help her with her science project. I asked what it was about and she said it was about "decomposers". She tells me she needs to find a certain type of fungus. It's January and she wants to look for fungus! Now we are not buried under snow or anything, but we are not experiencing what I would consider ideal fungus weather at the moment. In my head I am thinking morel type mushrooms. Fungus is not my specialty so I ask what she is looking for and if she can show me a picture of it. Turns out she was looking for a fungus called "turkey fan" which I had never heard of before. Well I had a good idea on at least where to look and sure enough not only did we have some we had plenty. I cut some off and she put it in a plastic bag - she was thrilled and I learned something. I don't think they are for eating, but apparently they are very common and are used for some medical purposes. Just thought I would share a story where my 10 year old taught me something I didn't know about the woods. I further took the opportunity and we talked about mosses, ferns and some trees as well. For those that don't know here is what "turkey fan" is.

