This year’s wet weather seems to be spawning an unusually sizable harvest for fans of hen of the woods, a ruffled, circular earth-toned mushroom that grows at the base of trees. Also known as maitake, this favorite find of foragers can be basketball-sized or larger. It isn’t as easy to spot as the vibrant chicken of the woods, given its muted color, but it’s considered a tasty prize with a nutty, spicy flavor. New to mushrooms? Check out the FungiFest at the Bell Museum, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Milkweed are going to seed
Look for milkweed’s silky fluff popping from dried seed pods along roads, in meadows or along the edge of woods. You can harvest some of the seeds to start more plants for monarch butterflies, which depend on them. Save Our Monarchs Foundation offers seed-collecting tips and accepts donated seeds.
Chipmunks are making some noise
If you hear a chup-chup-chup in the yard or woods, it’s likely an eastern chipmunk scurrying to collect enough food for winter. Researchers estimate they can stash up to 60 sunflower seeds or multiple acorns crammed into cheeks that expand like a shopping bag. They mostly hibernate for the winter, but they wake occasionally to eat from their cache of seeds and nuts.