fall, foster, New England, historic farm, leaves, cows, fungi, tree, mushrooms, walk,

October 21, 2022 10:30am-12pm

Historic Borders Farm, Foster, RI

The Rhode Island Mycological Society held our first event at Borders Farm Preservation Inc! When we arrived the grass was still wet with morning dew. The cows in the field greeted us with a chorus of moos before heading off for breakfast. The leaves were showy and vibrant, and the landscape looked like a postcard a tourist would proudly send back home. The group gathered and most everyone commented on what a fine fall day it was. The weather was fair, 53°F with 64 % humidity, and calm winds. Cindy Mellor-Neale, a long time volunteer with Borders Farm welcomed the 12 people in attendance and shared some of the fascinating history of the house and farmland. Deana Tempest Thomas gave a brief introduction, with some tips on what to look for. Allyson Wojtazek, another volunteer with the farm, led the way to the white trail. A garter snake slithered by as the group crossed the road and began the section of the 77 mile North/South trail that runs through the farm. Almost immediately the group began to discover fungi. Someone pointed out how now that they were looking, mushrooms seemed to appear everywhere!

The group observed many saprobic species, these are fungi that feed on dead or decaying organic matter. The past few days had been very windy and even though it had rained the forest floor seemed fairly dry. Some of the fungi looked a bit beat up by the weather, and not so much like the examples in guide books. Nuthatch and Titmice were heard and seen in the canopy and a Toehee called in the distance. Some crows sounded out as they flew past, perhaps acknowledging our presence, and for a moment we could hear many “quacks” from a flock of farm ducks who live nearby. A few red-backed salamanders were discovered under logs with fluffy, white, cobweb like mycelium that was revealed by rolling the log. We said “hello!” and apologized for disturbing their house and carefully returned the log to its original resting place. Patrick Verdier talked a little about fungal chemistry, microscopic features unique to members of the 5th Kingdom, and cellular differences between different fungal phyla. A fallen branch was found with many tiny bright yellow fungi commonly called the yellow fairy cup, or Calycina citrina. An observant fellow noticed what looked like wee little teeth marks, and wondered if a mouse had been nibbling on the fresh, grayish colored parts, of a large fruiting of Biscogniauxia atropunctata. The forest was primarily oak, birch and other hardwoods. When the group came upon a peaceful looking Hemlock tree, they paused for a moment, and spent some time under and nearby the tree before continuing on their forest exploration. Deana discussed the partnerships some fungi, called mycorrhizal fungi, have with trees and how it takes many years for these partnerships to establish. Mycorrhizal fungi have evolved to live so connected with their partner trees, that if the trees are gone, the fungi will not survive. And, without the mushrooms, many trees would not survive.

The group took a short cut around the field, and past a very large oak tree that fell over the summer. Half of the tree still stands with a very large scar, a plan was made to monitor what fungi appear here over time. A lovely array of lichens including many Flavoparmelia caperata decorated the stone wall with bursts of green along the return to the farmhouse.

Cindy gave a tour of the farmhouse to some of the group. This property is listed on the United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historical Places. The home is filled with many treasures, photos and amazing rumford style fireplaces that are made of stone quarried from nearby Nipmonk Road. The farmhouse, its contents and the entire 200 acre farm was donated by Charles and Margery Borders to ensure generations to come will have the opportunity to experience farm life. Borders Farm continues to be a working farm and remains “ an invaluable educational, recreational and community resource.” The rest of the group sat at the picnic table and ate lunch together. They discussed tips for mushroom identification and documentation. They shared photos of their latest mushroom finds with each other and looked through some mushroom field guides. The day had warmed to 60°F, with fair skyies, humidity 55 % and the wind picked up to a light breeze at SSE7 mph. The group pondered the mysteries of the fungal kingdom and many expressed they were looking foward to the next event.

Thanks Charlie!

Photos by : Kerrie Tehan