American elm tree This beautiful tree has a high, weeping canopy with small, purple-brownish flowers. It is not endangered and can grow in any environment, but does not grow very well in swamps or in wetlands.

The American elm is Massachusetts state tree and it’s a deciduous tree, which means it looses its leaves in the winter. Before the Dutch elm disease existed, this tree could have grown up to 100 feet (30 meters)!!! The leaves are alternate, meaning the leaves grow in a zigzag pattern, and they can be 7-20 cm long! The branches have a reddish-brown color to it with dark, ash gray bark. The flowers bloom earlier than the leaves and they branch in groups of 3 to 5.

Bearded Tooth Mushroom Also called tree hedgehog, the bearded tooth is edible, but the smell is awful. The taste isn’t very distinctive either. It is not for collecting because it is rare and it is actually illegal to pick. It is part of the tooth fungi category. It is about 10 centimeters long and can be found on the high part of a tree. It normally grows on the wounds of a tree and in many forests. It comes out in the summer and fall and lives on a tree for around 6 weeks, unusual for a fungus. The bearded tooth continues to grow on the same tree for many years. It still grows even when the tree has fallen!

The visible part of the fungi produces by spores. Not all fungi are destructive to the tree they are one. Many fungi’s that form heart rot, formerly thought to confirm the death of an old tree, can actually extend its life. A trunk hollowed by these fungi’s remains as strong as a solid one but weighs much less, and is able to absorb wind better than a pillar!!! The visible part of the fungi produces by spores. It has long, white spines that grow out from the center in a group. When the spines are old, they turn yellow and sour. Its good to eat them when young and white. It can grow up to a foot across and the spines can grow more than a centimeter.

By Leana Radzik Thank you for watching!!!! Please do not eat any mushroom unless you are an expert, which I am not.