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Dave W

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  1. Looks like a white-spored mushroom. Maybe a species of Clitocybe? Another guess is Calocybe carnea, a pinkish-capped mushroom that favors lawns. Gills on the specimen seen here appear to be verging on sub-decurrent. C. carnea gills are reported as notched to attached. But the one photo seen in the MushroomExpert link shows at least one specimen with gills stretched out so that they appear slightly decurrent. Also, C. carnea generally has a pinkish color on the stalk. http://mushroomexpert.com/calocybe_carnea.html Leucopaxillus also comes to my mind. But these types generally grow in groups in needle duff under conifers.
  2. In order to get the best idea for an amanita ID, the entire mushroom needs to be viewed. But from what I see, those look like one the SE NA species in Amanita section Caesareae that has been popping up in GA and FL this spring. Similar mushroom collections have been recently posted at Mushroom Observer. These would almost certainly not be the true Amanita caesarea of Europe. The most similar Caesar that we have here in eastern NA is probably A. jacksonii, which is often called the American Caesar. It has a striking reddish orange cap with prominant striations, a stalk that has plenty of orange on it, yellow gills, a white ring, and a white volva (basal cup). http://www.tullabs.com/amanita/?Amanita+jacksonii The mushrooms seen in this post appear to have caps with reddish centers and whitish magins.
  3. Nice find fs. If we get some hefty thunderstorms this week, then I hope to find a few Kings. Norway Spruce is also my best B. edulis habitat. Your photo with the Kings shows one Leccinum mushroom (Scaber Stalk).
  4. Chrishroom, I'd worry about the closeness to the busy roadway. A. arvensis is known to uptake heavy metals like lead. Roads that have been around for a long time may have lead residue remaining form the times of leaded gasoline.
  5. Found some nice Horse Mushrooms (Agaricus arvensis) the other day. Gills start out pale on these large Agaricus types, and transition to dark brown. The membraneous "cogwheel" partial veil is one trait to look for on young specimens. But beware, buttons of A. arvensis can look a lot like buttons of Amanita muscaria types. Usually I find Horse Mushrooms in grass under various trees. Norway Spruce seems to be a favorite. These were found under spruce. One of my favorite edibles when found in a habitat that I believe is not contaminated.
  6. There are a few widely distributed Agaricus species that look a bit like A. augustus. Mainly they are smaller. Here's one possibility for the collection seen in this post. http://mushroomexpert.com/agaricus_subrufescens.html There's only one spot here in Pennsylvania where I've found what I IDed as A. augustus. They were large scaly-capped almondy-odored mushrooms found growing on a lawn under cedar. A. augustus is reported as being uncommon in eastern NA.
  7. Cborchids, B. rubellus is a possibility. Also, B. fraternus and B. campestris are similar species. The Boletus bicolor types may also be considered; but I don't think this collection represents this species cluster... pores don't look right. The North American Bolete book lists B. rubellus edibilty as "unknown" and B. fraternus as "edible with caution." I have a personal record of eating B. rubellus. I have also sampled B. fraternus. Surprisingly (to me!) I have no record of ever trying B. campestris. It grows in my backyard lawn virtually every summer. I'll need to try it out. Sampling different types of boletes is not without risk, especially the stainers. I got a fairly bad case of indigestion once from eating a meal of Tylopilus eximius (changed to Sutorius eximius). There are species that occur in southern NA that do not occur in norhtern NA, and vice-versa. You're move from California to Georgia will result in many new fungal ID challenges. Western NA and eastern NA species are often quite different, especially the mycorrhizals... because the tree species are different.
  8. Judging from the size, and from the lack of pink stage in the gills, I think this may be one of the Agaricus arvensis types (Horse Mushroom). The yellow staining is variable with these types. Also, the pleasant almondy odor varies from weak to strong. A medicinal or creosote odor --like cborchids says-- is a reason to judge an Agaricus as toxic (a sickener). Agaricus arvensis is an excellent edible, but there are a few considerations. Agaricus species are known to uptake heavy metals. So you should not eat Agaricus species growing in a habitat where there is reason to suspect pollution or presence of toxins... maybe pesticides or herbicides. Also, once the gills have turned very dark, the edible qualities of Agaricus species are diminished. One unfortuante thing about Horse Mushrooms is that they are best to eat when in the early stages... when the gills are light colored, which makes them a bit more of a challenge to ID. Often, the pathway to establishing personal edibility for a given type of mushroom entails collecting and examining several different times before one rightly gains confidence. And when one first chooses to sample a type of mushroom, eat just a bit of well-cooked material. Some folks are sensitive to certain types that others eat without concern. I just diced up a nice big Horse Mushroom and added it to a pot of chili last Sunday! I'll post some pics on a new thread.
  9. From a friend who plugs logs with shiitake... the logs should be inoculated within 60 days after cutting to prevent other species from colonizing them. Different spawn producing companies may offer various time frames. You may be able to derive some information by checking different online suppliers. Hope this helps.
  10. Hi Garrett. Welcome to "Wild Mushrooms." Here's a link to the contriubtions made by Alan Rockefeller to the website Mushroom Observer. Alan has made extensive fungal collections in Mexico. You may view the posts which document these diverse observations by clicking on heading photos. http://mushroomobserver.org/observer/observations_by_user/123
  11. Two things to mention. First, all parts of the mushroom should be photographed while the mushroom is still in one piece. Second, the color of this dark spore print for this mushroom cannot be discussed unless it is taken on both white and black. The white background tells us that the print is dark. But almost all dark prints look like this one when viewed against white. To see the subtle differences among dark brown, dark puple brown, blackish purple, and black one needs to see the print taken on a black medium.
  12. Very interesting, Hugo. And nice photos! My understanding of Agrocybe aegerita is that it is a European/Asian species. I do not recall ever seeing any reports about it occurring in the wild in North America. But it does seem reasonable to suppose that this saprobic mushroom may flourish --possibly only temporarily-- by introducing the contents of a grow kit into a garden. However, Agrocybe praecox is a common springtime mushroom throughout North America, and distinguishing between A. praecox and A. aegerita is likely to be very difficult. My guess is that examination of microscopic characteristics may be required... but I am not certain of this. I am quite unfamiliar with A. aegerita. A. praecox is listed as edible in field guides; some list it as mediocre. I have not even tried it. If you know the flavor of Pioppino, then cautiously sampling a well-cooked small portion of one of the mushrooms from your garden may provide you with your answer. Agrocybe preacox has a dark brown spore print that does NOT show a purple or black tint. Take the spore print on both white and black background. A couple of questions. First, did the Agrocybe mushrooms appear in the same area as where the contents of the kit was buried? Second, how much time elapsed between the planting of the contents and the occurrance of the mushrooms?
  13. Just to add to what I had previously written... I also find B. edulis in the fall. Sometimes this is when the best fruting occurs, usually during a period of warm autumn weather. I agree keper, your B. pinophilus looks shorter and more compact that the ones I posted above. I may be mis-applying this species name. But it's the best match I have found for this uncommon (in my area) type.
  14. Luigi, there are many bolete types that have pores/tubes which are olive green at maturity. Even with good photos getting a species ID is difficult. But, for purposes of edibility... boletes that are white-fleshed, non-staining, non-bruising, not bitter tasting, do not have red pores, and are fresh enough for consumption comprise a large group of edible mushrooms.
  15. I made the collection seen above in a mix of White Pine and Eastern Hemlock. I visit this spot many times during the summer, but have seen this type of bolete only twice. I think the time of year was late July or early August. The Boletus edulis types are more common in my area, and the edibility is similar to B. pinophilus. The large non-staining sweet-fleshed boletes favor conditions that feature a mixture of hot temperatures and frequent significant rainfall.
  16. Beautiful boletes, keper! In North America the name Boletus pinophilus is applied to a pine-loving type, perhaps not the exact same species as the European one. I have IDed only a few of my own collections as B. pinophilus. Here's some I found in 2008.
  17. Luigi, some of the mushrooms in the Coprinus/Coprinopsis/Coprinellus genera are edible. But some are sickeners. A few types may cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms if a person consumes them within 5 days if having consumed alcohol. Coprinellus micaceus is a decent edible. But if the "mica flecks" are washed off the cap, then it could look a lot like Coprinopsis atramentaria, which is an alcohol sickener. http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/gallery/DisplayBlock~bid~5847.asp These types of mushrooms were formerly all placed into the Coprinus genus.
  18. I think the white glob may be Ductifera pululahuana. http://mushroomexpert.com/ductifera_pululahuana.html Cluster of gilled mushrooms looks like Coprinellus. Many of the field guides lump the mushrooms in this genus into Coprinus. C. micaceus is a common springtime mushroom. But I don't see the tell-tale flecks of "mica" on these caps. Small cluster of scaly mushrooms near notch in tree does look like young P. squamosus. Whitish pores underneath?
  19. Way to go planets! "steep south-facing slope" sounds like an early spot. So rainfall may be well-timed for you to find some good patches. Here in PA morels are just about over. Got 4 in my annually latest patch last Sunday.
  20. Gills and ring on stalk look like Agaricus. Yellow staining also points toward Agaricus. Are the gills completely free of any attachment to the stalk? The grooved cap surface is not typical for Agaricus. But this may be on account of very dry or hot weather. Looks to be an old specimen; gills very dark. Cap close-up actually looks more like Psathyrella candolleana... But I doubt this is the species. Some of the yellow-staining Agaricus types are sickeners. But A. arvensis --the Horse Mushroom-- is a good edible. Need a younger specimen to get closer to the truth. Agaricus is a somewhat tricky genus as species tend to be regionally distributed. I usually find A. arvensis in grassy areas with trees, often Norway Spruce. But agaricus types are saprobes. They do not form symbiotic relationships with trees. The presence of trees may provide some other advantage... maybe good sun/shade patterns? Or maybe something that the tree puts into the environment?
  21. Hey mary! Saw this just a few minutes ago. http://mushroomobserver.org/132581?q=1FyNh Nice obs. Great in-situ photo.
  22. Evan, our season up here got off to a late slow start, due to the weather remaining on the chilly side for so long. Big yellows are just about over here now, except for a few cold spots that always start up about a week after everything else has finished.
  23. Got some big 'uns around dead elm trees today.
  24. If you take the spore print for the Oysters on a white background, you may notice a subtle tint... maybe pinkish or lilac. Most manuals list "white" as one possible spore print color for Oysters (Pleurotus species). But the prints I have observed --taken on a white background-- show some color. Angel Wings (Pleurocybella porrigens) have pure white prints. But this type mushroom occurs later in the season... at least it does around here (Pennsylvania). I find Angel Wings on hemlock wood. Oysters grow on wood of deciduous trees. I have eaten and enjoyed both Oysters and Angel Wings. But, a few years ago, there was a report from Japan that some people got seriously ill from eating Angel Wings. So I feel that I should mention this. What you've got there, davedave, looks like Oysters. Here's some I found today. The polypore could be F. pinicola. Looks like it. But the photo is not focused real well. And there are other hard-fleshed polypores that could be mistaken for Fomitopsis... like Phellinus species. I know of no toxic look-alikes for F. pinicola. The white shelf mushroom? Probably something that fruited last year and over-wintered. Difficult to put a name on something like this.
  25. The recent rainfall and late warmup seems to have been a good combination for the orchard morels. Found all of these in association with 5 apple trees. I have tested soil in my local orchard spots... for lead, because it's easy to do this. There is a problem in eastern NA with lead/arsenic contamination in some orchards, due to a pesticide used between 1860 and 1960. The small family-farm orchards in my area appear to be okay.
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