Trametes versicolor
The Turkey Tail is a striking beautiful mushroom. I found it down in the bottom area growing on rotting wood. Besides the one in the pictures to the left I found a couple more small ones on wood pieces. All had the multilobe appearance and were similar in color. Often Turkey Tail or more colorful than the specimens I found. I will keep looking.
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Trametes versicolor
Type: PolyporeCollection date: 09/23/2008
Name: Trametes versicolor
Common Name: Turkey Tail
Description: Multiple overlapping lobes, looks almost like a flower. Tough woody flesh. Growing on ground, maybe dead wood. About 15cm across. Dark black with white edges.
Edibility: Inedible – too tough
Color: Black, Blackish
Size: Over 15cm
Cap type: over lapping lobes
Gills: No Gills
Stem type: Lateral, rudimentary, absent
Flesh: white
Texture: Flesh fibrous
Veil: none
Ring: none
Volva: none
Mycelium:
Spore color: White,cream,yellowish
Habitat: Grows in woods
Habitat2: Grows on the ground
Habitat3:
Lycoperdon pyriforme (Morganella pyriformis)
This little white puffball mushroom is the only puffball that grows on wood. Because of this it is often called the Stump Puffball. It is also commonly know as the Pear Shaped Puffball. As you can see from the pictures it sometimes appears to be growing on the ground but if you look you can see the white strands (see middle mushroom in 4th picture). It is usually a small mushroom, less than an inch in diameter but you can see in the 4th picture that sometimes it gets a little bigger. It is edible. The taste is mild and it has the sponge consistency like bolete mushrooms. If you do eat it be sure and cut it in half and inspect the flesh. It should be firm and white. Watch out that you don’t see the shape of a mushroom because it is then a young Amanita and deadly.
Recent dna studies suggest that it is not of the family Lycoperdon at all but should be considered Morganella. The white mycelial strings mentioned earlier and the fact it grows on wood support this. See the Mushroom Expert link below.
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Lycoperdon pyriforme
Type: Puffballs and othersCollection date: 09/18/2008
Name: Lycoperdon pyriforme
Common Name: Stump Puffball, Pear Shaped Puffball
Description: These started appearing after the first fall rain. They are small 1 to 4 cm in diameter and about 5cm tall. They are white with a pear shape and grow on rotted wood.
Edibility: Edible
Color: White to Cream
Size: Less than 5cm
Cap type: Puffball
Gills: No Gills
Stem type: Lateral, rudimentary, absent
Flesh: white
Texture: a little slimy
Veil: none
Ring: none
Volva: none
Mycelium:
Spore color: Light to Dark Brown
Habitat: Grows in woods
Habitat2: Grows on wood
Habitat3: Well Rotted Beech
Scorias spongiosa
After the latest fall rain I noticed a sponge fungi growing in the Beech Tree Aphid Poop I have discovered earlier. See Aphid Poop on my forest blog. From what I can find out this particular fungi only eats aphid poop on beech trees – talk about specialized! The mushroom does resemble sponge. It starts out white/yellow and with age turns black. I wonder if its only because of the black aphid poop it turns black.
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Scorias spongiosa
Type: Unknown and OddballsCollection date: 09/17/2008
Name: Scorias spongiosa
Common Name: beech aphid poop-eater
Description: After the last rain, I noticed a new sponge fungi growing on the beech trees under the black areas of aphid poop. The sponge starts out white/yellow and turns black with age. I guess that the black aphid poop is what turns it black.
Edibility: Who would want to?
Color: White to Cream turning black
Size: Over 15cm
Cap type: Sponge almost coral like
Gills: No Gills
Stem type: none
Flesh: white
Texture:
Veil: none
Ring: none
Volva: none
Mycelium:
Spore color:
Habitat: Grows in woods
Habitat2: Grows on beech trees, eats aphid poop
Habitat3: Dead and live beech under aphids
Mycena haematopus
This is a delicate little mushroom I found covering a well rotted log. Its distinctive color and the fact that the stem bleeds when picked make it an easy identification. When you pick the mushroom the base of the stem exudes a blood red liquid. It is a small mushroom, about 1-3 cm wide with a stem 5-10 cm long. It usually grows in clusters on the log. See the mythology surrounding this mushroom in Tom Volks entry below.
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Mycena haematopus
Type: GilledCollection date: 09/17/2008
Name: Mycena haematopus
Common Name: Blood-Foot Mushroom
Description: This little mushroom was found on a well-rotted log on the ground, its favorite habitat. Its distinctive color, a dull blood red, and its bleeding root make it easy to identify. When you pick the mushroom the root often exudes a blood red liquid. As with all mycena is it small with the cap being 1 to 3 cm with a conic shape. The stem is longer than the cap is wide. Often growing in clumps.
Edibility: Unknown
Color: Red, Redish, Pink
Size: Less than 5cm
Cap type: Conical
Gills:
Stem type: Stem longer than cap diameter
Flesh: Flesh exudes colored latex
Texture:
Veil:
Ring:
Volva:
Mycelium:
Spore color: White,cream,yellowish
Habitat: Grows in woods
Habitat2: Grows on wood
Habitat3:
Armillaria mellea
This mushroom appeared all over the forest after a fall rain. It grows on the ground attached to underground roots and next to old stumps. In several places, it is right next to Jack O Lantern mushrooms. Something likes them because as soon as they reach maturity, they get eaten. Whatever does it is not very neat, there are always remnants laying around. They vary in color from yellow to dull brown. The stem is tapered with a prominent ring on the mature mushrooms. They usually grow in clumps. They are supposedly edible but have been known to cause intestinal distress, so I will leave them alone. Their spore print is white.
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Armillaria mellea
Type: GilledCollection date: 09/16/2008
Name: Armillaria mellea
Common Name: Honey Mushroom
Description: This mushroom came up all over the woods after a fall rain. It is golden yellow to brown and grows both on the ground and one/near stumps. It has a prominent ring and the base is tapered. It usually grows in clumps.
Edibility: Edible with caution
Color: Yellow to brown
Size: 5 to 15cm
Cap type: Convex
Gills: Running Down Stalk
Stem type: Ring on Stem Tapering Downward
Flesh: white
Texture: Flesh fibrous
Veil: partial-persistent
Ring: collarlike top
Volva: none
Mycelium:
Spore color: White,cream,yellowish
Habitat: Grows in woods
Habitat2: Grows on the ground/on wood
Habitat3: Oak Beech Hickory Maple