There’s a fungus among us! Laurel Hill Farm and Preserve is a wonderfully rich, 227-acre preserve filled with mature alluvial and upland forests, idyllic streams, and…mushrooms!

Did you know that mushrooms are the reproductive structure or “fruiting body” of the fungus? Most of the fungus exists underground in the form of a complex network of thin filaments called the mycelium. These mycelia play an essential role in maintaining a healthy, productive ecosystem and are especially important to trees. Some trees and fungi form mutually beneficial mycelium-root connections (called mycorrhizae) through which they can exchange essential nutrients like sugars, soil minerals, and nitrogen.

We will have mushroom enthusiasts and mycologists from the Piedmont Area Mycological Association to help us identify our specimens and distinguish the delicious from the deadly.

Laurel Hill is privately owned and conserved by Catawba Lands Conservancy. A special thanks to the Nason family for inviting us onto their preserve for this member program! 

This hike is only available to donors Catawba Lands Conservancy (CLC) and/or Carolina Thread Trail (CTT). Not a donor? There’s still time! Become a CLC donor or CTT donor today.

WHAT IS PROVIDED?

• Mycologist from the Piedmont Area Mycological Association (PAMA)
• Catawba Lands Conservancy staff member
• Tools and supplies for collecting mushrooms
• Safety gear, first aid

WHAT SHOULD YOU BRING?

• Full water bottle
• Hiking shoes
• Snacks
• Camera
• Hat, sunscreen, bug spray