Foote Dam Area

West of Oscoda

Wildflower walk along wooded trail on Rea Road, across from fishing/boat launch parking lot. Also fern and wildflower trails near Foote Dam, off the end of parking lot. Look for trail near bathrooms. Great for Baltimore orioles in the spring.

Wildflowers Map

Self-guided Wildflower Walk along Ausable River

Begin on Rea Road at DNR launch ramp parking lot. Cross Rea Road and proceed to gate of Snowmobile Trail. Follow trail until iot goes up slope at natural pipeline. Follow two-track back to Rea Road. Walk left along Rea Road to parking area. The area is full of natural wildflowers in the spring. In the early autumn the same trail is productive for finding giant puffball mushrooms. Length of circuit approximately one mile.

Click to See Map

Mushrooming

This particular photo was taken in the Rose City area, It is a big foot Morel Mushroom. Morels come out in the spring months, they are very "mysterious" it is very difficult to spot one, even when you know where to look. The good thing is when you find one there is almost always others close. They come in a variety, black morels come first, they are the smallest and my personal favorite, (they have the best flavor, in my opinion), white morels come out after the black morels, and as pictured the big foot are last. Morels usually start coming out about mid April to late May, (In the Michigan area).

The most common places to find these "mysterious" mushrooms is around fallen rotting logs, at the trunks of trees, and hillsides; but as I have said they are very mysterious, I would not be shocked if I found one in my back yard.You MUST be careful though there is a "skirted morel" that is not a true morel; though it smells and tastes like real morels it has a slight muscle relaxant property that when eaten in large amounts can result in a state similar to drunkenness.

The difference between the two can be spotted. The true morels have deep, dark irregular pits. Also the stalk is light colored and joined to the bottom of the cap. The false or skirted morel has longer vertical ridges, the stalk is also light colored but disappears into the cap and is attached skirt-like at the top of the cap. These certain mushrooms always make me feel like I am going on a treasure hunt.

Even If I find only one, I am happy because even though it is only one mushroom I have found one piece on gold. I hope you learned from this article and will enjoy the "treasure" hunts you have in the future. Sincerely,

Mushroom Lover, (Taylor Jordan)