I would very much like to have a mycologist at my beck and call. Fungi are so very cool and so massively frustrating to identify. For example, each year I find a particular bolete, bright yellow with cinnamon pores and olive spores. You'd think such a distinctive mushroom would be easily IDed, even by a rank amateur such as myself. But no, I can't find it anywhere. ARGH.
Below are photos of some of the fungi I found while out late this afternoon. Sure, I have a guess as to what each one is...but a guess is a dangerous thing when IDing mushrooms ;) Well, no matter the species, I found them all to be interesting to look at.
9 comments:
What terrific fungus photos! I just love all the shapes and colors fungi come in. For help in identifying, check out the Cornell Mushroom Blog (Google it), and contact a mycologist through that site. I've gotten lots of help that way.
I'm glad to see you've been getting out.
I'm long past trying to ID fungi--the stakes are too great if you err.
Suffice it to say those are lovely finds.
+Swampy- As usual you continue to show me other things to focus upon when I'm out walking. We've just had four days of cool and damp, should be lots of fungi about. I'll let you know.
Maineiace
woodswalker,
Cornell has some of the coolest sites! Love the Mushroom Blog.
nina,
I always say I'm just going to appreciate them for their beauty, but then I find myself wanting more! Glutton for punishment I guess :)
Maineiac,
You should be able to find some really cool fungi up there. And don't forget about the lichens -- Treebeard and I found some really impressive ones on some boulders down one of the logging roads we explored last time we were there.
Gorgeous fungi finds... I share your feelings about the difficulty in id ing them. The second one looks so like fly agaric - but isn't it the wrong time of year? In autumn on rainy days I go to Epping forest just outside London specifically to look at fungi; I have no idea what I am looking at ever, I'm just going there to marvel really :)
Bird,
Fly agaric would be my guess as well -- but only a guess ;) The Peterson guide lists it from late spring to fall. The little black ones at the end are probably carbon antlers and the orange-red ones are most likely chantrelles. As for the top one, I'm clueless!
The orange ones are definitely not chanterelles. They are much too small. They might even be Deadly Galerina! There are three mushroom clubs listed for North Carolina here: http://www.mykoweb.com/na_mycos.html#NCND
Maybe someone could help you out who knows the local shrooms.
I love mushrooms very much! Can't wait when they start growing here in this season. As to their id. The only one I'm 100% sure is the second pic: amanita muscaria or toadstool. Despite a common myth they're not hallucinogenic and even edible! Just make sure you cook them at 90C or higher.
As to the others.. can't say. I definitely wouldn't eat # 1 and # 4. And # 3 I might have seen and even eaten similar ones (they have a milky substance within their body that can be easily seen when you cut them) but I live in a different continent so can't be a good advisory..
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