Chicago outdoors: Garage mushrooms, black squirrel, North Woods fall color, and golf like salmon fishing

A garage mushroom in Park Ridge. | Provided

Notes come from all around Chicago outdoors.

MUSHROOM OF THE WEEK

Barbara Van Diggelen in Park Ridge emailed this photo, “...no, not going to eat it, but I seem to be growing mushrooms in my garage!” I asked Andy Miller, curator of fungi for the Illinois Natural History Survey, and he replied, “Appears to be oyster mushrooms.”

MOTW, the celebration of mushrooms around Chicago outdoors, runs as apt in the special two-page outdoors section in the Sun-Times Sports Saturday. Submit nominations by message on Facebook (Dale Bowman), on Twitter (@BowmanOutside) and Instagram (@BowmanOutside) or email (BowmanOutside@gmail.com).

WILD TIMES

HUNTER SAFETY

Oct. 17-18: Tinley Park, (708) 342-4200

Oct. 24-25: Joliet, (815) 935-2700

TROUT FISHING

Today, Oct. 3: Early catch-and-release trout fishing in Illinois opens in nine sites statewide, three in northern Illinois: Rock Creek, Kankakee River SP, Pine Cree, White Pines Forest SP, Apple River, Apple River Canyon SP

MOVIE FUNDRAISER

Thursday, Oct. 8: Indiana Dunes Tourism and Indiana Dunes National Park host a nature-themed outdoor movie night fundraiser, 49er Drive-In, Valparaiso, Ind., $35, opens at 5:30 p.m. reservations required, check at evenbrite.com

DUCKS UNLIMITED

Next Saturday, Oct. 10: West Suburban Fall Fundraiser, Paradise Lakes, Coal City. Contact Cathie Stuart cstuart@scheersins.com or Rick Scheer, rscheer@scheersins.com

ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS

Tuesday, Oct. 6: Spring turkey permit applications begin

Next Saturday, Oct 10, to Oct. 11: Youth waterfowl hunt, north zone

Next Saturday, Oct. 10, to Oct. 12: Youth deer hunt

DALE’S MAILBAG

A black squirrel in Darien.

“This morning I was surprised to see two black squirrels in my back yard. Surprised because I have been here for over fifty years and have never seen any before this Summer. This morning I was able to get a picture of one of them. Not a great picture but it will do Ed Buric, Darien

A: Probably deserves a longer response, maybe this winter. By 2013, our town had reached roughly 20 percent black squirrels, same species as eastern gray squirrels. After the brutal winter of 2013-14, black squirrels made up less than 10 percent and have not rebounded much. My theory is they were easy for predators that winter.

BIG NUMBER

100: Percent of fall color in Hayward on Tuesday, Sept. 29, according to Fall Color Report at Travel Wisconsin

LAST WORD

“Salmon fishing is like golf, aggravating.”

Arden Katz, describing fall shoreline fishing for Chinook after going 0-for-5 on boating any a week ago at Milwaukee Harbor.