Seeing the woods speckled with "the gold of the forest" made me more curious about the other tiny details I might have been missing in nature. When I started looking more closely at fallen logs, tree trunks or even right below my feet, I noticed that there was a whole world of little organisms like chanterelle waiting to be explored!
I was also nervous to eat the chanterelles I picked. While many mushrooms are safe and delicious treats, there are some species that are poisonous to eat or even touch, so it is important to be cautious. To be certain, I double-checked with a guidebook written by an expert in Norwegian fungi. There were detailed illustrations and descriptions about the size, color, texture and even smell of each species I found. Checking my book helped me feel confident that the mushrooms I was eating were safe to have for dinner. Have you ever tried identifying species using a guidebook?
In Norway, many people practice a way of life called friluftsliv (pronounced "FREE-loofts-leev"), or "open-air living." Just like how I was so happy to spend many hours foraging for mushrooms and learning about the species in the forest, friluftsliv reminds us that being connected to the outdoors is great for our well-being.
Fungi is all around us. If you look underneath a stone, scoop a handful of water in the woods or even take a deep breath, you will definitely come in contact with fungi even if you can't see it with your eyes. However, some species like the golden chanterelle only survive in certain parts of the world.
