June 2021 – recycled paper clips

Chanterelles!

Chanterelles are out! The upcoming two months are the best time of year, in my opinion, if you are looking to harvest edible mushrooms for the table. I won’t go over how to identify chanterelles, as there are already plenty of resources on that. Instead, I’m just going to share some pictures of the differentContinue reading “Chanterelles!”

Mary Elizabeth Banning: the Story Behind a Mushroom

Mary Elizabeth Banning's watercolor illustration of the mushroom now named after her.

What is really interesting about this mushroom though, is the story behind its name. Mary Elizabeth Banning was an early American mycologist and illustrator, known for The Fungi of Maryland, a manuscript containing 174 watercolor illustrations of local fungi. Had it been published, it would have been an enormous leap forward for the American mycology of the time, but unfortunately it sat in a drawer for 91 years after her death, only to be unearthed in 1981.

A Black Widow and other things I’ve seen in June

Black widows are one of those species whose name travels far ahead of their actual presence, so it was neat to actually see with my own eyes something I’d heard so much about. After seeing one I did some research and learned that though highly poisonous, a bite from a black widow is not soContinue reading “A Black Widow and other things I’ve seen in June”

The Ohio Buckeye

The Ohio Buckeye is a distinctively Midwestern tree, so much so that “buckeye” became a kind of metonym for the region and the early Anglo-American settlers thereof. The name “buckeye” itself needs explanation. The most commonly given one is that the shiny brown fruits resemble the eyes of a buck. The Ohio Buckeye belongs toContinue reading “The Ohio Buckeye”

Mushroom Report: The Veiled Polypore

I’ve talked about “veiled” mushrooms on this blog before, but the veiled polypore, Cryptoporus volvatus, is different. Usually, a mushroom’s veil helps protect the gills while it is maturing, but then disintegrates when the mushroom is ready to spread its spores. After all, permanently enclosing your spore bearing surfaces makes no sense as it preventsContinue reading “Mushroom Report: The Veiled Polypore”