OutdoorNebraska

3 T his past summer Chance Brueggemann and Derek Zeller were on a mission to find mushrooms in the rugged woodlands at Indian Cave State Park. The pair were conducting a mushroom survey of the park supported by the Wildlife Conservation Fund. Only a handful of Nebraskans were qualified to identify the myriad mushrooms potentially growing in the park and the pair fit the bill. Both are self-taught amateur mycologists (people who study fungi). Brueggemann is a woodland ecologist with the Northern Prairies Land Trust stationed at Indian Cave, while Zeller is a professional website designer. Mushrooms, including the classic toadstools, morels, puff balls, shelf fungi, and many other groups, are types of fungi. Their main body, the mycelium, is composed of a mass of mostly unseen microscopic, threadlike hyphae that snake through the soil, decaying logs or other substrates harvesting organic matter as food. The visible and recognizable mushroom is the fungus' short- lived fruiting body, which produces spores. It is unknown how many mushroom species occur at Indian Cave or in Nebraska in general as detailed surveys have never been undertaken. North America has roughly 10,000 known mushroom species and the better-studied, nearby states of Minnesota and Colorado have both documented about 1,300 species. Nebraska's mushroom diversity could be just as rich. Brueggemann and Zeller began the survey in April and completed it in October, spending 3 to 4 days a month scouring the moist oak, hickory, and basswood-covered hills bordering the Missouri River. They found nearly 450 mushroom species ranging from BB-sized to basketball- sized. DNA analysis this coming spring will confirm the identification of unknown specimens. Their finds included common species such as Earthstars, the brain puff ball, and yellow fairy cup, but also unusual rarities. Most interestingly, after showing photos to mushroom experts, they may have found two species previously unknown to science. They also discovered four new truffle and truffle-like species for Nebraska. Truffles, which commonly grow under oaks and other hardwoods, are atypical in that the fruiting bodies are stemless and remain completely underground. They emit potent odors when ripe that attract animals, ranging from squirrels to bears, which dig them up, ingest them, and disperse their spores through their feces. Prior to the survey, Nebraska's only known truffle was a specimen that Brueggemann had discovered at Indian Cave. Brueggemann and Zeller will continue their survey next summer, expanding the effort to several other state parks and natural areas in eastern Nebraska. Eventually they hope to compile their fantastic fungal finds into a website that others can use. 4 Unveiling the Mysterious Mushrooms of Indian Cave State Park By Gerry Steinauer, Botanist, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Derek Zeller (left) and Chance Brueggemann examine mushrooms collected during their survey of Indian Cave State Park. PHOTO BY GERRY STEINAUER The Orange Pinwheel is one of the many mushroom species Zeller and Brueggemann found at the Park. PHOTO BY GERRY STEINAUER

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