Friends of Merrymeeting Bay is set to offer a mushroom walk as part of its 2023 Outside Summer Series.

Michaeline Mulvey, president of the Maine Mycological Association, will lead the walk, set for 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, on a recently protected large conservation property in Bowdoinham.

Jack-o-Lanterns (Omphalotus olearius) Ed Friedman photo

Mushrooms are the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. The generic or stereotypical mushroom has at minimum a stalk and cap with gills or sponge beneath it that releases spores. While the fruiting body of a mushroom is above ground, most of it is below ground in a complex web known as mycelium, according to a news release from Ed Friedman of Friends.

Participants should dress appropriately for roaming around in the woods and bring a basket, knife and some small paper or wax paper bags. Those who have specimens from home and would like help identifying are welcome to bring samples.

The FOMB Summer Outside! Series is the warm weather counterpart to FOMB’s popular Winter Speaker Series. Events are usually free and are open to the public. Registration is required.

FOMB’s next outing will be a bird walk at 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, with ornithologist and bird sound expert Will Broussard.

To register for these walks and for directions, call Friedman at 207-666-3372. The full Summer Outside! Series is available online.

Check out other upcoming area events!