Observations: October 16, 1995 Time: 11:00 am Weather: Damp and cool

A hunt for Wet Days One of the best times to find the Atlantic region's mushrooms and fungi is in the autumn, after a rain. The Nature Park's woodlands and open fields provide many samples if you hunt a little. Most of our fungi belong to the group Ascomycetes (truffles, morels and cup fungi), or the group Basidiomycetes (mushrooms, bracket fungi, and puffballs). Fungi consist of fine, microscopic threads called hypae which generally grow in the soil. In order to spread its species fungi use spores, not seeds. The typical mushrooms we know produce their spores from the gills that radiate out under the umbrella-like cap. In the open fields look for the mushroom Shaggy Inkcap, sometimes known as Shaggy mane, (Coprinus comatus). This cylindrical whit mushroom stands 6 cm tall and has scales. When mature its camp becomes bell-shaped and its edges turn brown. Finally the whole cap turns black and appears to dissolve from the edges upward. The gills liquefy to free the spores for the Shaggy Mane.
	Food from Hairy Plants In the open, drier areas of the park among the goldenrod you will find reddish stemmed plants ranging in height from 30 to 120 cm. The stem spear-shaped leaves are hairy and, earlier in the summer, support a few bright yellow flowers. This plant is called Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) because its four-petalled flowers generally open in the late afternoon and give off a mild fragrance. In the autumn, the flowers gone, the stems support dried seed pods that split open to reveal two rows of seeds on each of the pod's four walls. American Goldfinches, preparing to fly south, like to eat these seeds.
Autumn Travels With crisp winds and changing leaves in September and October, the bird migration souhward is in full swing. One of the autumn travellers down the coast to warmer climates is the Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus). The smallest of the hawks, this forest -dweller feeds primarily on small songbirds. You can distinguish the hawk in the air by its square tail ending in a narrow white band, distinctively notched. The underside of this hawk is rust coloured. Its upper parts are a bluish grey.

The Naturalist's Notebook is published quarterly. If you have any questions or topics that you would like to see addressed, please call John Gilbert, Manager, Fish and Wildlife, J.D. Irving, Limited, (506) 632-7777.