Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Fungus Among Us

    Note: This is not meant to be an identification guide for mushrooms. 
It goes without saying, but I will anyway:
Don’t eat wild mushrooms unless you know what you are doing!  

  We’ve been spending lots of time out in the woods enjoying the fall bird migration, the abundant wildflowers, the crisp air — all the wonderful changes that come with autumn.  So far our best fall colors aren’t up there where most would expect them.  Rather, they are down near your feet and you have to be alert so you don’t step on them.

  There’s fungus among us!

Here are a few specimens from our walks this weekend.



  
Russula emetic, aka the sickener,      
 vomiting Russula.  

  Pretty, but beware!  










  




Chanterelles (right), 
trumpet-shaped beauties
 that the adventurous prize for their taste 






  

  



Amanita flavocconiaaka Yellow Patches,     shiny yellow like an egg yolk






Beige mushrooms with warts
😆













  Black trumpet mushroom, 
  aka black chanterelle 









Unknown



Unknown





























Unknown










  Ephemeral, often associated with fairies and elves and other magic, forest mushrooms are fascinating.  If you haven’t seen my North Carolina neighbor Henny Penny’s yardful of beauties, click here:


17 comments:

  1. Quite a varied selection. I'm hoping to see some on my walk tomorrow. It's been wet for a few days so that should encourage them.

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  2. I'm surprised how many you had names for. I will never pick a mushroom from the woods to eat.

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  3. It’s so wonderful that you can tell them apart. I don’t know enough and would be too scared to pick any for consumption.

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  4. I love finding brightly coloured fungi at this time of the year. I am impressed with your knowledge. I can't ID any of them so never touch them.

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  5. Unfortunately fungus is overlooked. People know very little about fungus.

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  6. Amazing to see these fungi. Nice photos of them.
    Take care.

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  7. That is quite a selection, a wide variety.

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  8. Fun we had the same subject! I see you call it fungi, I will remember that.

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  9. Fungi are not the easiest taxon to identify by any means, but to give it a shot is very rewarding. Better always err on the side of caution, however, when deciding whether to eat them, for the results of a mistaken ID can have very serious consequences. Having said that, once one is certain that they are edible, there is nothing quite as exquisite as the taste of wild mushrooms.

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  10. I was reading about each of your unusual mushroom and thinking, now Cynthia knows the names of the mushrooms in her post. What a surprise to get to the bottom and find my name and post mentioned. Thank you! Sure glad we're neighbors. :)

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  11. Dear Cynthia, like you, I used to enjoy walking in the woods and finding beauty on the ground, stepping carefully so as not to trample. Those days for me are past, but I do remember the jewel-like colors. As to the eating of mushrooms, I've never liked their texture. Here in Missouri in the fall I think, Morells (or something like that name) are prized when cooked with butter. My brother raves about them. Peace.

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  12. Hey fabulous fungi! We gave my son, in Melbourne lock down a mushroom growers kit for his birthday it has been a big hit! So we love to see this, although I promise not to touch the poisonous ones!
    Have a great weekend wandering the woods!
    Wren x

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  13. What an amazing collection of fungi. I wouldn't eat any other than from a shop. My husband witnessed mushroom poisoning when he drove an ambulance in his youth in Switzerland. After seeing the pain they were in he would never eat wild mushrooms again.

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  14. An interesting array of fungi - I think you could do something "interesting" with the RUSSULA - a lovely
    looking sauce for someone who likes Junk Food!
    Name ends with an UMP!!!
    Colin

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  16. My what a lovely collection of photos. Fungus are beautiful subjects. I remember going with my Mom and Dad to pick mushroom in Michigan, but I would never remember or take a chance on my remembering what to pick and what not to . . . too many choices and too many lethal mistakes to be made. This is my first visit to your blog, following along. I do hope you'll visit and maybe even find something interesting enough to follow me back. I love making new friends.
    Connie :)

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