Yesterday, I was lucky enough to spot two fungi I would never have noticed if I hadn’t specifically been looking for mushrooms. Which would have been a shame, because they’re both pretty cool. The first, above, is Ramaria formosa (most likely), distinctive for its pink branches with yellow tips. Unlike one of the other coralContinue reading “Earthstars and Coral Fungi”
Tag Archives: mushrooms
Mushroom Lingo #3: Partial Veil
“Partial veil” is a rather mysterious, almost existential, name for a thin covering of the gills or pores on the underside of a mushroom’s cap. You are actually much more familiar with partial veils than you realize, because Agaricus bisporus, the supermarket button mushroom features one. As the mushroom gets older, the partial veil disintegratesContinue reading “Mushroom Lingo #3: Partial Veil”
Exsudoporus frostii! A Gem of a Mushroom.
This gem of a mushroom was definitely the highlight of today’s hike. Not only does it have a beautifully “reticulate” stipe, it exudes (hence the scientific name) golden droplets when young and fresh, something I didn’t know until today. Apparently it’s edible, but who would want to eat it?
It’s not a fungus, but what is it?
One of the fun things about looking for mushrooms is that often in the process you will find and learn about something else. Maybe it’s trees, or insects, or mosses…or slime molds. Many is the time I’ve bent down to look at a spot of color on a log to discover strange globs, blobs, fuzzes,Continue reading “It’s not a fungus, but what is it?”
Best of May: Photos
Morbid Mushrooms: What are Dead Man’s Fingers?
If there is a single fungus which exemplifies the morbid connotations of that word, it is “Dead Man’s Fingers,” Xylaria polymorpha. The wikipedia article, probably written by someone more familiar with mycology than literature, falsely claims that the fungus is mentioned in Hamlet Act IV Scene 7, when Gertrude describes Ophelia’s suicide. “There with fantasticContinue reading “Morbid Mushrooms: What are Dead Man’s Fingers?”
Mower’s Mushroom: Official Fungus of the American Dream.
We’ve probably all seen this mushroom at one point or another. It’s something like the squirrel of the fungal kingdom. Ubiquitous. Suburban. I almost want to say “American.” The kind of mushroom you might encounter at a Memorial day bbq. Grass, ants, hot dogs…and Panaeolus foenisecii. Mycologically, what are its distinctive characteristics? Perhaps the mostContinue reading “Mower’s Mushroom: Official Fungus of the American Dream.”
What is a “deer mushroom”?
Show anyone you meet out hiking a fairly nondescript brownish-grey mushroom and they’ll probably tell you it’s a “deer mushroom.” But what actually is a deer mushroom, other than a catch-all term for things we can’t otherwise identify? It’s actually fairly simple. A deer mushroom (Pluteus cervinus) has three key characteristics: 1) it’s growing fromContinue reading “What is a “deer mushroom”?”
Late Spring, Mushrooms and More!
Morel season is in the books, but what we’ve lost in culinary thrill we’ve gained in variety. Has anyone else seen these?
Early Spring Photos: Indiana
And now for an embarrassing story…the “corn flake mushroom,” as I called it in my head, turns out to be, after months of frustrating research (well, really just hours over the course of a couple months) the extremely common… Crowded Parchment Fungus, considered by mushroomexpert.com to be “the most common, ubiquitous, ever-present, lost-all-luster fungus amongContinue reading “Early Spring Photos: Indiana”
recycled paper clips 