Mushrooms

This little orange mushroom caught my attention for two reasons. One it is bright orange and is visible from a ways off. Two, it was growing on the same beech log that just last week had yielded a bounty of oyster mushrooms. One of the most striking things about the mushroom was that it stained my fingers orange when I picked it. It is also very rubbery and hard to pick. The first picture does not give a good idea of its size since it is of a small limb. That little clump of mushrooms is only about 2 1/2 inches across all together. The biggest cap is less than 1 inch across.

The guide books say it is probably ok to eat but no one has tried it. I would hate to see your mouth after you ate it, if it stained your mouth like it stains your hands. The other day I was noticing the squirrels had been busy on the black walnuts – I wonder if the black walnuts stain their teeth black like they do my fingers.

Links

• Mushroom Expert
• Tom Volk’s Mushroom of the Month

Mycena leaiana

This is one of the most striking mushrooms I have seen. It is always perfect with no bugs on it or damage to it. It is pure white and usually quite large. The first picture is of a mushroom over 9 inches tall. As with all Amanita it is not good to eat, but it is beautiful to look at. I usually find it in parts of the forest where there are aspen. I don’t know if that’s a coincidence or not. The first picture was taken during a rainy period and the other pictures were taken during a dry period.

Links

• Mushroom Expert
• Tom Volk’s Mushroom of the Month
• Steve Brill

Amanita Cokeri

The Jack O Lantern is a good mushroom to be familiar with. It looks a lot like chanterelle mushrooms. The major difference is that the Jack O Lantern has true gills. It is also poisonous and can cause severe gastro-intestinal distress. It grows on dead wood but these appeared to be growing out of the ground like chanterelles. Unlike the chanterelle it also grows in large groups and like many mushrooms it can grow very fast. The mushrooms in the pictures to the right sprang up within a 24 hour period. The whole bunch weighed almost a full pound. I will have to admit I was very disappointed they were not real chanterelles. I found it in the same general area as I had found chanterelles. The second picture has a golf ball in the picture for reference.

All the descriptions of this mushroom tell of how it glows green in the dark. Having seen foxfire on many occasions, I put it to the test. My son and I took one of the mushrooms into a basement room, turned out the lights and waited. After about ten minutes, we both could see a faint and I mean faint green glow. It was most noticeable when I picked up the mushroom and moved it around. I have to say it was not near as bright as foxfire.

Links

• Mushroom Expert
• Tom Volk’s Mushroom of the Month
• Steve Brill

Omphalotus illudens

The Artists Conk has to be one of the hardest woodiest mushrooms there is. Often it is harder than the wood it is growing on. The top of the mushrooms around here are almost black and the bottom is almost pure white. On the younger ones, the outside margin is white also. I have found it mainly on downed hardwood logs. It tolerates the dry weather of late summer better than most mushrooms.

Links

• Mushroom Expert
• Tom Folks Fungus
• Roger’s Mushrooms

Ganoderma applanatum

This mushroom is commonly called the Sulphur Shelf mushroom or the Chicken of the woods. It is a good edible mushroom and easy to recognize. Its bright orange color makes it easy to spot in the woods. It grows on hardwood stumps and fallen logs. The wildlife in my area like it so you have to be quick to harvest it. It is a mild tasting and smelling mushroom.

Update, I found another specimen during a hot dry period. The second and third pictures are of this mushroom top and underneath side.

Links

• Mushroom Expert
• Oakes Museum - Fungi Growing on Wood
• Roger’s Mushrooms
• American Mushrooms

Laetiporus sulphureus