A huge Thank You to Amanda Reimer for organizing her very first Community Foray in Garner Lake Provincial Park. It was the smallest foray so far, with a combined total of the TWO of us, but it was lovely. Amanda is a past employee of the park and took me on a three-hour tour. She is a wealth of information, and I believe members missed out by not attending. She even created a full-colour brochure for attendees. I would recommend that you try to make the trek the next time she puts on a foray.

Conditions have been drier in the St. Paul region, but we managed to find a decent amount of mushrooms. We were also fortunate to find a rare yellow lady’s slipper orchid (Cypripedium parviflorum). If you ever encounter these in the wild, please DO NOT pick them, or try to plant the bulb in your garden. The orchid will die.

Yellow Lady’s Slippers have a fascinating and essential relationship with mycelium. This partnership is critical for the orchid’s survival and is a great example of how plants and fungi work together in nature. The yellow lady’s slipper produces tiny seeds that lack the energy reserves needed to grow on their own. To germinate and develop, these seeds depend on mycelium from specific fungi. The mycelium acts like a nutrient pipeline, delivering essential food—such as sugars and minerals—to the young orchid. This connection, known as a mycorrhizal relationship, is a two-way street. As the orchid matures and starts producing its own energy through photosynthesis, it shares some of that energy with the fungi, supporting the mycelium’s growth.This symbiotic bond is vital, especially in the wild, where the yellow lady’s slipper relies on the right fungal partner to thrive. Without compatible mycelium, the seeds simply won’t grow, which is one reason these orchids are rare and can be challenging to cultivate. This relationship highlights the hidden teamwork happening beneath the soil, where fungi and plants exchange resources to help each other survive and flourish.