Plants Fungi

What are we really missing from the sunniest winter in California? Mushrooms! Learn about our mush-needed friends and how they can help us tackle global warming.

As I began exploring more of the area in my free time, I was delighted to find there were many more species of mushrooms than I had never seen before. While on a hike with a friend in Point Reyes, we noticed a beautiful fly agaric mushroom trail side.

Have you ever wondered if the various plant and mushroom species you find when exploring San Mateo park sites are edible? You can’t take these with you, but you can get some ideas for your own garden and your next recipe!

This winter we welcome the rainy season, as it typically allows for a rich diversity of various fungi and lichen species to emerge. Take this opportunity to check out the different varieties of species thriving in our San Mateo park sites! You might just take a lichen to what you see. 

Come take a moment to lift up a log or peer closely at a fallen branch and you might be surprised at what you find. But what is that spongy-looking thing? And is that orange moss growing on that tree? Don’t worry, the Parks Conservancy has you covered in this “fun guide."

We caught up with “Chief Composting Officer” Dick Miner to get the scoop on Alcatraz Historic Gardens’ award-winning compost—and learn some tips for your own.

The rainy winter is when we plant thousands of native plants at restoration sites all across the Golden Gate National Parks. You can do the same in your garden at home, with these tips from experts at our Presidio Native Plant Nursery.