Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast: the Essential Pocket Guide to Mushrooms of Coastal California Foraging – Your Foraging – Our Foraging Book

Let me take you deep into the Redwood Coast — a place where towering redwood-lined trails, rain-dampened needles, and mist-softened forests create a world so alive you can feel it beneath your boots. Here, moss glows a deep woodland green, fog drifts between giant coast redwoods and Douglas firs, and the forest floor hides an entire universe waiting just beneath the surface. I want you to picture yourself stepping into these woods after a night of rain, the air cool and earthy, and seeing the first chanterelle pushing up through the duff or spotting a bolete nestled beside a fallen log.This is Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast: The Practical Field Guide to Wild Fungi of the Coastal Redwood Forest, and I’m here to make sure you experience this extraordinary fungal world in the most rewarding, confident way possible.I know how overwhelming mushroom identification can feel — dozens of species that look similar, subtle differences in caps and gills, strange scientific names, and the ever-present worry about misidentifying something important. That’s exactly why this guide is written the way it is. It isn’t just a catalog of species — it’s like having an experienced forager walking the trail with you. I’ll show you the mushrooms that appear under redwood, Douglas fir, tanoak, spruce, and hemlock. I’ll teach you the small details that separate edible treasures from toxic lookalikes, and I’ll help you understand the forest rhythms that bring mushrooms to life throughout the seasons.Inside this guide, you’ll discover:Clear, natural explanations of mushroom structures, spore colors, and field markings that actually make sense when you’re holding a specimen in your hand.Detailed profiles of the Redwood Coast’s most iconic species — chanterelles, candy caps, boletes, oysters, black trumpets, honey mushrooms, lion’s mane, and many more.Expert guidance on toxic and dangerous species, including the cues that help you avoid harmful lookalikes with confidence.Habitat insights that show you where mushrooms appear and why — from foggy redwood groves to mixed evergreen forests, from mossy creekbeds to hillside trails, from shaded coastal canyons to old logging paths.Seasonal patterns that reveal why spring brings morels, why summer favors boletes, and why fall delivers the region’s legendary mushroom abundance.Imagine yourself kneeling beside a log as mist curls through the trees, brushing soil away to reveal a perfect hedgehog mushroom. Picture yourself walking through a redwood grove and suddenly spotting a flush of black trumpets pushing up through the needles. Or the thrill of finding your first morel — that honeycomb cap rising from the forest floor like a secret gift. With this guide in your pocket, these moments stop being accidents and start becoming experiences you can seek out with skill and confidence.My goal with this book is simple: to make mushroom identification feel approachable, intuitive, and deeply enjoyable. I want you to step into the forest with curiosity instead of hesitation, and return home with knowledge, wonder, and maybe even a few delicious finds.The Redwood Coast is waiting — with its hidden textures, its rich forest air, and the fascinating fungal world rising from its land. Don’t just walk past the mushrooms. Learn them, appreciate them, and discover the magic they bring to the region.Grab your copy of Mushrooms of the Redwood Coasttoday, and step into a world of discovery you’ll never forget.