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Sonoma County abloom with mushrooms

Angela Hart, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
With a slight bend of his knee, Patrick Hamilton crouches down and reaches into the woody undergrowth of the forest at Salt Point State Park north of Jenner, and picks from the ground a yellowish sponge-like mushroom.
“Start looking at the ground around you, and you’ll begin to find your mushroom eyes,” Hamilton says, presenting the mushroom, commonly referred to as the Poor Man’s Slippery Jack, to a small crowd of novice mushroom hunters.
“When you find your mushroom eyes, you’ll start seeing mushrooms everywhere,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton’s schedule has been packed. The longtime professional mushroom hunter said Sonoma County’s recent rainfall has led to explosions of mushrooms — both poisonous and edible — on drought-stricken lands throughout the county. The deluge, with seasonal totals of between 15 and 32 inches of rain, has soaked grassy hillsides, filled streams and turned lawns green, providing the ideal environment for mushrooms to grow.
Read more via Sonoma County abloom with mushrooms | The Press Democrat.