Kanawha State Forest Foundation

10/11/2026

It may be wet outside with cloudy conditions, but in Squirt's little corner of the world it is always 70°F-74°F and sunny! 🌞
(Photo by KSF Naturalist Jess Blalock)

10/10/2026

Good morning KSF Fans, KSF Naturalist Jess Blalock here! I would like to give a huge THANK YOU! to Drew Palmer of the West Virginia Mushroom Club for coming out yesterday afternoon and taking some of our Ophiocordyceps Ants for testing! Our Ophiocordyceps will be undergoing DNA sequencing to help us verify the particular species! We should know the results in a few weeks! 😁👍🍄

10/09/2026

Kanawha State Forest and KSF Naturalist Jess Blalock are featured in an article about hiking in our beautiful WV State Parks.

Good local trails can be found all across the Tri-State and Kanawha Valley region. Places to look for trails include Barboursville City Park in Cabell County, Beech Fork State Park,

10/08/2026

Good afternoon KSF Fans, KSF Naturalist Jess Blalock here with a Carolina Mantis! 😍 Females reach up to 2.4 inches in length, while males usually hit 2-2.1 inches. Their mottled green, gray, or brown coloration helps to camouflage them while hunting! Did you know that the nymphs are able to adjust their colors to suit their environment each time they molt? Talk about dressing for success! The females lay their eggs in Fall, usually from September through October, encasing them in hardened foam structures called "oothecae". These are attached to twigs or along other structures, including buildings! Carolina Mantis eggs overwinter, hatching into nymphs in the Spring!

10/08/2026

Good morning KSF Fans, KSF Naturalist Jess Blalock here! Spooky Season is underway and the spooky finds continue here at KSF! This morning I did a thorough investigation of the deck in front of the Gift Shop and located additional Ophiocordyceps-infected Eastern Black Carpenter Ants under the benches! I also found a newly latched Eastern Black Carpenter Ant on the side of the building behind one of the benches! Afterwards, I checked along the walls leading to and in front of the Nature Center, and found no infected ants. Looks like the fungus found what it needs at the Gift Shop!

10/08/2026

Good morning KSF Fans, KSF Naturalist Jess Blalock here with Mica Caps! These hardwood-loving saprobic fungi frequently appear in dense clusters on rotting stumps, old roots, and/or buried wood. Mica Caps are also endophytes (a class of fungi that lives within a plant for part of its life cycle without causing apparent disease), appearing on the bark of living trees. Also known as Glistening Inky Caps, they get their name from the tiny reflective cells that appear on their caps (see close-up photo!). The "inky" part refers to the autodigestion of the cap into a spore-laden black "ink"; the enzymes responsible for kick-starting this process are deactivated by cooking, but they move fast! As a result, Mica Caps are recommended to be eaten soon after harvesting, within a few hours if possible. This edible mushroom is great for sauteeing and tends to take on the flavor of whatever it is prepared with. Unlike some of their cousins, Mica Caps don't contain coprine, the chemical that can cause a sensitivity to ethanol, which can lead to illness if consumed with alcohol. Mica Caps are very high in potassium according to lab studies! 😁👍

10/07/2026

Polly Trail

10/07/2026

KSF Forest Goblin/Naturalist Jess Blalock here, putting snail shell hats on Milkcaps while enjoying a beautiful Fall Wednesday in the forest! 😊🐌🍄

10/06/2026

Good morning KSF Fans, KSF Forest Goblin/Naturalist Jess Blalock here with a handy Fall Foliage Coloration Guide from WVDNR! Leaf change is underway, and while we have a couple more weeks until we hit peak in Kanawha State Forest (if predictions are correct!), you can use this guide to learn to recognize different trees by their changing colors!