Harold40 Posted November 3, 2019 Report Share Posted November 3, 2019 My problem is I'm 60% colour deficient... so believe I have a late fall oyster just started a spore print. Thing is it doesn't look like any of the pics I've looked at and yes I know many variations. Will try to post my picks ... need help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCn15 Posted November 4, 2019 Report Share Posted November 4, 2019 Is that an elm tree? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted November 4, 2019 Report Share Posted November 4, 2019 I think these may be Pleurotus dryinus. Looks like there may be a thin ring on the stalk, remnant of a partial veil seen on very young P. dryinus but mainly disappearing except for faint remnants on the stalk and/or material clinging to the cap margin. I don't see any remnants along the cap margins. Another possibility is genus Hypsizygus. Seeing the bases of the stalks would be helpful here. If by "late fall oyster" you mean Panellus serotinus, then these are definitely not this species. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold40 Posted November 4, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2019 Spore print came out white suggesting Hypsizygus Elm Oyster. I use the Audubon field guide and its picture was close so found pics on the net which confirmed it was. As I said because of me being colour blind/deficient it takes me a little longer sometimes to I'd a shroom but case solved now trying to figure how to turn this "edible" into a "choice" meal ... wish me luck! 2 hours ago, GCn15 said: Is that an elm tree? Always wondered what type of tree this was guess since it's an Elm Oyster it gives high probability of it being an Elm it's at the back of my garden next to my outhouse (no longer in use but kept it for my city friends ha ha) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCn15 Posted November 4, 2019 Report Share Posted November 4, 2019 I was almost certain it was an elm from both the bark and that I was fairly confident this was an elm oyster, but I don't like to assume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHNY Posted November 4, 2019 Report Share Posted November 4, 2019 I think Hypsiygus will grow on other trees like Maple. Plus you must have one of the last Elms in southern Ontario. In my youth 40+years ago, I thought they had all been killed by Dutch Elm Disease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold40 Posted November 4, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2019 I was told 20 years ago that I had elm, manitoulin maple and the weed poplar on my property. Mushroom hunting and rock hounding are my excitement.... trees are only good if a shroom grows on it. So GCn15 and JOHNY chances are good that I will be moving to Manitoulin Island .... that makes us almost neighbors ... but I won't know for sure till this spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted November 4, 2019 Report Share Posted November 4, 2019 Elms continue to grow in many areas of NA. But, they generally attain a height of 30 feet or so before Dutch Elm Disease kills them. So, the large shade tree people think of as representing elm is mainly absent on the continent. Any American Elm that grows in NA is infected with DED. Finding areas with elms is a key to good morel hunting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dig Posted November 4, 2019 Report Share Posted November 4, 2019 Dutch elm seems nonexistent down here in El Paso. I also didn’t have not seen it anywhere I have been in Texas. However the most common elm is the trash tree, siberian elm ‘Ulmas pumila’. I have an 20-30 year ‘Ulmas parvofolia’ lacebark elm a few houses away that is super happy. There are also a few native elms north of me in wetter areas that seem disease free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold40 Posted November 5, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 5 hours ago, Dave W said: Elms continue to grow in many areas of NA. But, they generally attain a height of 30 feet or so before Dutch Elm Disease kills them. So, the large shade tree people think of as representing elm is mainly absent on the continent. Any American Elm that grows in NA is infected with DED. Finding areas with elms is a key to good morel hunting. Thanks Dave W if this tree back of my garden is an Elm (I don't know trees) its roughly 40 feet I thinned it out about 5 years ago it was shading too much of the garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 I just did a little quick research on DED. I believe now that I had believed incorrectly that the disease is inherited by seedlings. It seems that DED is spread by insects. Perhaps parts of Texas are not prone to support any of these insects...? Here in PA there are areas --particularly central PA-- where lots of elms are found. The trees get to be maybe 30-40 feet high and then suddenly die from DED. Morchella americana (NA Yellow Morel) associates with these elms, and when the tree suddenly dies the fungus puts forth all it's remaining energy --and probably also taps into whatever nutrients are available from the recently dead roots-- to produce large fruitings of morel mushrooms during the first spring following the demise of the tree. During the second spring, there may be a couple or so morels but that particular fungus is likely done producing mushrooms and presumably dies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold40 Posted November 5, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 Hey Dave I have found up here in Ontario about a year or 2 after a forest fire morels grow exceptionally well better if its sandy loam! I tried about 25 years ago before that Swiss company figured out how to commercially grow them to grow them myself, I used some soil from an area that had a fire 2 years previous put spores in and a few came up got excited and then used soil closer to me that was also sandy loam none came up couldn't figure out why tried maybe 10 more times and nothing so I figured it was a fluke. Then the swiss company figured it out and after reading how they did it I slapped my forehead ... it was right in front of me but I kept thinking I screwed up the spores ... same as my lottery tickets haven't nailed that one either lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 So it appears to be the burnt soil that contributes to the successful cultivation of morels? That is really interesting. It has been proposed that Morchella likes alkaline soil, so the ashy remains of burnt organic matter may make the difference. I'm not familiar with the Swiss morel cultivation story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vitog Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 Regarding mature American Elm trees, they still can be found some places where they were planted outside their normal range. Here in Vancouver, BC, we have many examples of disease-free elms. I just read that the disease has recently reached Seattle, WA, spreading northward from California; so, we may be seeing it in a few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold40 Posted November 5, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 Well even though I am an excellent cook especially with wild shrooms the elm oyster was terrible I couldn't spit it out fast enough. Doesn't matter I have a good supply of my dehydrated ones and cooked frozen. Best thing I bought many years ago was a good dehydrator.... cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCn15 Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 11 hours ago, vitog said: Regarding mature American Elm trees, they still can be found some places where they were planted outside their normal range. Here in Vancouver, BC, we have many examples of disease-free elms. I just read that the disease has recently reached Seattle, WA, spreading northward from California; so, we may be seeing it in a few years. In Manitoba elms are common in rural areas. In the city of Winnipeg DED was caught very quickly and diseased trees were cut down. 12 hours ago, Dave W said: So it appears to be the burnt soil that contributes to the successful cultivation of morels? That is really interesting. It has been proposed that Morchella likes alkaline soil, so the ashy remains of burnt organic matter may make the difference. I'm not familiar with the Swiss morel cultivation story. Up here in Canada, the professional morel pickers exclusively go to forest fire sites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 Harold, some people report wild Hysizygus mushrooms as being somewhat bitter. I've hunted "Fire Morels" in Idaho. Impressive frutings, even in August (which is when I was there). My understanding is that in the Rockies the Morchella fungi are associated with the pines, and the damage the fire does to the trees stimulates the fungus to produce mushrooms. Once the mushrooms start coming, it seems plausible that spores germinate and quickly grow into new mycelium that produces even more mushrooms, and perhaps the alkalinity of the soil fosters this new growth. (Lots of conjecturing here on my part.) Here in eastern NA I have never seen a morel in a burn site. The Fire Morels of western NA are different species than what we have here (confirmed by DNA studies). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCn15 Posted November 5, 2019 Report Share Posted November 5, 2019 Anywhere you have boreal forest you will have massive amounts of morels in burn sites the year after. Not exclusive to the Rockies but to the alpine and boreal forests. In Manitoba we go to the burn sites on the occasion they are road accessible and the amount and size is staggering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHNY Posted November 6, 2019 Report Share Posted November 6, 2019 10 hours ago, GCn15 said: In Manitoba elms are common in rural areas. In the city of Winnipeg DED was caught very quickly and diseased trees were cut down. Up here in Canada, the professional morel pickers exclusively go to forest fire sites. True. Winnipeg has been able to sustain huge old elms making long shady streets especially west of Downtown. But it takes an annual application of Tanglefoot™️ on every tree. It is nice to see every summer but it does take significant effort Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold40 Posted November 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2019 8 hours ago, GCn15 said: Anywhere you have boreal forest you will have massive amounts of morels in burn sites the year after. Not exclusive to the Rockies but to the alpine and boreal forests. In Manitoba we go to the burn sites on the occasion they are road accessible and the amount and size is staggering. Wow and I thought I was revealing my guarded secret to my new found family ha .... I have in my life only been able to find 1 other person who knew and was as passionate about shrooms as me. Wish I had discovered this site years ago the people here are fantastic and I feel dwarfed with your knowledge but also hope I can contribute....... cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted November 6, 2019 Report Share Posted November 6, 2019 GCn15, do you find morels in burnt forests where the trees are exclusively hardwood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold40 Posted November 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2019 Hi Dave the Yellow Morel I usually find in deciduous hardwood but the Black Morel in coniferous wooded areas. Percentage wise I generally find more of the Black then Yellow and to me the yellow have a nicer flavour! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCn15 Posted November 6, 2019 Report Share Posted November 6, 2019 15 hours ago, JOHNY said: True. Winnipeg has been able to sustain huge old elms making long shady streets especially west of Downtown. But it takes an annual application of Tanglefoot™️ on every tree. It is nice to see every summer but it does take significant effort True. 1 hour ago, Dave W said: GCn15, do you find morels in burnt forests where the trees are exclusively hardwood? Our hardwoods are generally mixed forest with conifer in my area. But yes we do find morels in hardwood burn sites but not as much as in the boreal forest burns. As a general rule I mainly go to boreal areas because with the amount of forest and crown land we have I can be picky. Canada, above the 53rd parallel is about 98% crown land and almost 100% forest where it isn't lake. We have enough public forest to fit about 2/3rd of the USA inside. 100% of our residents live on, farm on, own, use about 15% of our entire land mass. I used to guide foreign hunters and fishermen and when we would fish in the North and they were always shocked how you could drive down a major highway for 8 hours and not have a town, city, or even a building...just forest and lake on both sides of the road for 500 miles. I would shock them and tell them the road goes another 500 miles before the road ends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted November 6, 2019 Report Share Posted November 6, 2019 Sounds like an outdoors enthusiasts paradise. Although I suppose there's some dangers up there in those norther forests. Do you have grizzlies up there? The most dangerous thing in our PA forests is one of the smallest, deer ticks. I know that the Fire Morels of western NA (at least partly) consist of described/published species. I wonder if Michael Kuo or Clowez/Matherly had access to burn-site morels from north-central Canada? I'm guessing that the Canadian black morels from coniferous areas are likely the same types as what are found in the Rockies . Morel hunters call there burn site morels "conica" (a misapplication of a European species name). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCn15 Posted November 7, 2019 Report Share Posted November 7, 2019 19 hours ago, Dave W said: Sounds like an outdoors enthusiasts paradise. Although I suppose there's some dangers up there in those norther forests. Do you have grizzlies up there? The most dangerous thing in our PA forests is one of the smallest, deer ticks. I know that the Fire Morels of western NA (at least partly) consist of described/published species. I wonder if Michael Kuo or Clowez/Matherly had access to burn-site morels from north-central Canada? I'm guessing that the Canadian black morels from coniferous areas are likely the same types as what are found in the Rockies . Morel hunters call there burn site morels "conica" (a misapplication of a European species name). Same morels. The Rockies have a longer season so they get the most attention from morel enthusiasts. No grizzlies until you get into the sub-Arctic above the 60th parallel. There you will find grizzlies, and polar bears. South of that black bears, and wolves are the biggest concern and are not really all that concerning if you take the proper precautions. I live in Thompson Manitoba which has been marketing itself as the Wolf capital of the world. I have never heard of a single negative human interaction between the two and the wolves are often walking down our streets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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