Did you hear that? The outspoken Texas state mushroom is hissing its way into parks

The state mushroom of Texas is gearing up to hiss its way into the hearts of Texans.

If you're just now finding out Texas has an official state mushroom, you've come to the right place. The Texas star mushroom, also known as the devil's cigar, earned its designation as the official mushroom of the Lone Star State in 2021. And while this loud-mouthed mushroom is known to be quite elusive, it's not impossible to find.

But when and where can Texans find star mushrooms in the wild and why do they hiss?

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The Native Plant Society of Texas says people are most likely to see the star mushroom, scientifically known as Chorioactis geaster, between October and January when the temperature dips.

However, Angel Schatz, a mushroom enthusiast with the Central Texas Mycological Society, told LoneStarLive.com in a video call that these hissing mushrooms were spotted in July and August in Central Texas, something Schatz said has never happened before.

But given Central Texas' mild summer and a decent bit of rain, it appears the star mushrooms decided to emerge much earlier than they typically do.

Now that fall has officially arrived and temperatures are starting to cool down, there's a decent chance that star mushrooms will soon start popping up on decaying cedar elm stumps. These mushrooms first come up in a fuzzy, cigar-type shape — hence their nickname, the devil's cigar.

Schatz shared that these sometimes hard-to-find fungi that can grow roughly 3 to 4 inches tall are connected to the roots of the tree stumps they grow on and help them to decompose at a slow rate.

But the fun of this mushroom relates to the sound it makes when its cigarlike shape opens.

Here's why star mushrooms hiss and where you can find them in Central Texas If star mushrooms are pleased with the amount of rain and humidity levels, they will open. It's at this moment where the devil's cigar starts audibly hissing.

The reason it makes a hissing sound when splitting open into a leathery starlike shape with four to eight points, Schatz said, is due to its spores.

When star mushrooms open, they spread their spores, creating the hissing sound you'll hear if you ever witness one as it slowly opens. This process can be stunted if the star mushrooms don't sense a change in humidity.

Because Schatz hadn't seen one opening in the wild, she once decided to create a "happy, moist environment" in her home for a few star mushrooms she had collected.

After trying to trick the mushrooms by spritzing them with water to change the atmospheric pressure and attempting to simulate weather by lifting the tray she had the mushrooms in up and down, it happened.

"They all went off, and it just was like I was opening a soda bottle or something," Schatz recalled. "I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is so cool.'"

Like other mushrooms, Schatz said star mushrooms come up in the same spots every year. This is good news for curious mushroom enthusiasts, as it will make finding them a touch easier.

The star mushrooms Schatz spotted in the wild back in July were found roughly 24 miles east of Austin, Texas, at McKinney Roughs Nature Park in Cedar Creek, Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife previously found star mushrooms at Inks Lake State Park in Burnet, Texas.

Star mushrooms have previously been spotted at Zilker Botanical Garden in Austin, Texas, as well. Since the devil's cigar has been found at these parks in the past, they are solid places to start one's search.

Though star mushrooms originated from two regions in Japan, they were first collected in Austin in 1893 and were previously found along the Trinity River in Arlington and Fort Worth, Texas. While these mushrooms have been around for quite some time, Schatz says much about them — like if they are poisonous — remains unknown.

If you don't trust your eyes will be able to find star mushrooms in the wild all by your lonesome or simply want to learn more about an array of mushrooms, Central Texas Mycological Society hosts mushroom-related events across the Lone Star State, including mushroom walks with well-informed mycologists.

At the end of the day, Schatz revealed the best way to find star mushrooms is by slowing things down while attentively looking for decaying cedar elm stumps that this fungi loves dearly.

"You really gotta be like, 'Slow down.' And that's one of the things we love about mycology," Schatz said. "It gets people away from the fast pace of everyday life. And we get to slow down in the forest. ... It's really like a meditation."

If you go out looking for star mushrooms across the Lone Star State, remember that foraging for wild mushrooms on public or private land is illegal in Texas unless you have been permitted by the land owner to do so.