Dave from tn.

Haha Sounds like we’re stumped. I’ll get out the new microscope and look further into it.

Spore prints=

I have a mature one on glass to check prints again. Here’s some updated pics:

10-4, good to hear from you again Dave! Yes stalks are very breakable like soft twigs or like psathyrellas typically are but much larger. The spore print came back a light brown. Psathyrella Candolleana looks to be very similar.

I’ve had it on a glass all day so far it looks to have a slight shade of brown

Found growing on ground in a hardwood forest, remotely near a wine cap mushroom garden bed here in Tennessee today. Not %100 sure on it. The highs have been in the 70s and lows in lower 60s. with rain the last couple days. But highs have generally been in the upper 80s for weeks. Any comments are greatly appreciated!

😉

Another great tool for the forest is https://fungusid.com/

Oh wow, yes the hunt is definitely on! Dave W. informed me about this website to see where they’ve been finding them in the nation and when. https://www.thegreatmorel.com/morel-sightings/

Okay thanks for the run down! I’ll look into trinocular scopes and see if I can afford one. You were dead on on saying the Morels were here!!! I posted pics of a batch I found literally the next day after you replied. And thanks for the link I didn’t know about that website.

Found today in the hills of middle Tennessee growing around an old homestead from 100 years ago surrounded in privet bushes with some hackberry and cedar trees nearby. We had a couple of days in the 60s and 70s and the last two days have been rainy and highs in the 40s and 50s and lows have been just above freezing. Happy Morel Hunting! -Dave

Thanks Dave I greatly appreciate all your effort‼️ I believe it looks similar to the Hypoxylon sp. Do you have a microscope you would suggest for me purchase? Btw I have been seeing a few pheasant backs but no gilled mushrooms in 3 months but hopefully with these temps morel season is just around the corner.

Found today in Tennessee growing on a hardwood tree. It was black inside just like the outside probably unlike Chaga but thought I would check to see in case. May just be some other kind of crust fungus. Any thoughts or comments are greatly appreciated.

Yes thanks Dave, it’s definitely one of those psathyrellas. Even with all the rain we’ve had recently I haven’t seen the first sign of a live mushroom yet besides dried polypores and jelly fungus species. Last year during Jan-March I could always find mushrooms growing most every time I went and looked. Especially winter oyster sp., enoki, deadly galerinas and a few others. I heard there has been massive amounts of lead showing up in the atmosphere for some reason, don’t know if this has any effect. I guess I better start growing them indoors if I want to keep them in my diet!

Been looking for mushrooms in Tennessee for over two months and besides a pitiful cluster of oysters and dried up polypores this is the first healthy mushroom I have seen. Please let me know why you think there are literally no mushrooms in mid to east tn. and if you’ve ever experienced such an event. Thanks!

Alrighty will do, thx so much! I found some today before reading this. They’re popping up everywhere around here!

Thanks for the responses! Spore prints came back purple. The ID matches Hypholoma lateritium. Still not 100% sure. I have been seeing them a lot.

Found growing in clusters like enoki on decomposing tree in a hardwood forest in Tennessee. Highs have been in the 50s and lows in the 20s. All comments are greatly appreciated.

Wow, your expertise is inspiring! Thanks as usual!!!!

Found today growing by itself on a hardwood tree in TN. (tree is behind mushroom in pic). The lows have been in the 20s and highs in the 50s. I have found elm oysters in the past and never had any issues identifying them but this one weighs a lot! 3/4 of a lb to be exact.

Awesome and thanks for your reply! Btw I had to climb a mountain to find em, they were at the very top! Best reward Ever!

Hi Dave! Bark was attached to a very old stump possibly elm. Caps were indeed sticky and some were as large as 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Spore print was white.

Found in Tennessee today in a maple dominant hardwood forest growing on bark. Only reason I am almost second guessing them is because I’ve never seen any even 1/4 this size! All advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks much for your knowledge Dave! I will study Cort. caperatus. And forget about the rest in the Cort. genus. 🙌

I believe these may be one of the poisonous look alikes you are referring to.