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I've been out of a few times over the last 10 days in the Raleigh NC area since we've had some good rain over the last 2 weeks. I shared some of these via Facebook, but thought I'd share them here as well.

The first trip was on the way to Western NC to visit the parents. I used the NOAA NWS historical precipitation to find a 3-4 inch of rain hot spot near Winston Salem, just off I-40. Found a spot called Salem Lake Park with long greenway around the Lake surrounded by a heavy hardwood forest. Found some bolates as well as my first chanterelles along a moss covered bank. Enjoyed in an omelete the next morning.

First chanterelles. Small, but enough for a meal.
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After a trip to Boulder last week I was ready for hike this weekend. Unfortunately I was late on some of these, but gaining knowledge so I'll be ready next time the chicken and black staining polypore re-emerge.

Found my first local Chanterelle. I could be wrong so did not eat these, but they were growing in a wash area, on the bank, moss and evergreen/oak forest. Although the yellow one had yet to break the veil, it's characteristics were just like the chanterelles found a week before. In hindsight it should have been left behind to mature. The orange ones were very small, but forked false gills.
orange and yellow chanterelle
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old chicken. First chicken of the woods. Came close to this area a week before, but turned around just before this tree. Notes taken on date, so next year I'll be ready.

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young oysters. Found on down poplar. Lots are really small ones were left. Unfortunately I won't be able to go back to harvest. I took enough for a sauteed squash and oyster mushroom dish.

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Black staining polypore. IDed via Facebook. This had be stumped as it looked like maitake. I thought maybe an old chicken of woods, but Ben Ruben helped identify as meripilus sumstinei, black staining polypore, something new to me. Must have been at least 20 lb of mushrooms in 4-5 clusters around the base of old oak.

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Thanks again Dave. I thought golden chanterelle at first so picked one. When I got home and sliced open it looked like attached gills under a partial veil. Also, it turned a bit slimy and color faded unlike the ones found the week before. At some point I'll find some mature ones for indentification. I have one pic of a yellow button type mushroom found in different park. I'll have to upload that from my other computer.

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The red mushroom that Dave IDed as cinnabar chant may possibly be a hygrocybe similar to the ones I find in my chanterelle spot. You will know by checking the stalk. Solid and whit inside will be a chant. Hollow and fibrous would by hygrocybe.

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The yellow-capped buttons shown a few posts above this one are interesting. Caps look like Amanita, ring looks more like Agaricus or Stropharia. Gills look like they may be tinted some color other than white. I'm wondering if this may be an example of Stropharia kauffmanii. This would be a notable find... perhaps a first for NC.... but this is just a guess. Spore print color would be useful here.

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Evan, the stalk was white inside and although small, it really appeared like the gills were false.

Dave, that is very interesting. I'll have to make sure to do spore prints of this if found again. I'd love to find the wine cap variety :-)

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Coastwx, Wine Cap Stropharia mushrooms are easy to grow from purchased spawn. Just find a reasonably fresh pile of wood chips from deciduous trees and inoculate it with spawn. If you do it soon, production could start this fall. On the other hand, both my brother and I found them to be rather tasteless: the zucchini of mushrooms, as he called them. If you want to try them, you can easily find spawn sources on the Web.

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I doubt the ones seen in the post above are Wine Caps (Stropharia rugosoannulata). The lower portion of the observable stalk is too shaggy/scaly for S. rugosoannulata.

Wine Caps seem to like weather that's not too hot, not to cool. Mid spring or mid autumn is when I find them. Not so much a woodland species, more of a wood-chip/compost species.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Good hunting, coastwx. Things haven't been quite that good here in a drier micro-climate, but after a couple of days of showery weather things are starting to pop. Still, until day before yesterday the only interesting edibles I've found in quantity are some mouse-eaten oysters and a big-ol' bunch of inky caps. Oh, and four sweet-tooths.

July 11 I started noticing ganoderma, and many growing where I didn't expect.. The first was right beside a dog pen, a place I know insecticide is used on, growing on the rotted stump of a 3 inch diameter oak. The second was on the exposed root of a deteriorating Red Bud tree, the white edge turned dull yellow and the whole thing without the sheen I expect to see and with a light grey discoloration on parts, so maybe past its prime already. Another newer one, small and almost all white edge, is growing on the base of the tree. Then I found another half dozen growing on wounds of vaious oaks and the small group in the photo growing, I thought at first, on the roots of a maple. Closer inspection revealed they're on a rotted oak stump.

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I inspected the huge old oak with a split that was completely filled with Ganoderma L. last year, expecting to see new ones pushing out the old. No such sign as yet. I can pull the old ones out, and did a few, but saw nothing promising underneath. Maybe it's too early but then, what about all all those others I'm finding?

Two small mushrooms I'm curious about and, since my camera lacks the resolution for good photos of tiny objects, maybe someone can suggest a few names to investigate from a description:

Cap 2 cm, stem 3 cm, all creamy tan. The whole thing is so thin that if held to a bright light, light penetrates through the cap. The gills are what are distinctive. They do not radiate from the stem but form tiny empty squares.

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Good deal on the Ganoderma L. Hunter. One of the two oak stumps in our yard that had some last year just started popping yesterday. I'm going to keep a close eye out on those on my hike this morning. We had a big rain (1.5 inches) 3 days ago, so hoping for good luck.

Friday was my best day so far this year. The log that had small flush of P. ostreatus a week or 10 days ago was visited towards the end of the hike and it exploded with a fresh flush that had very few bugs. Took the newest. Will be checking it again today since we had the rain and there were many small ones emerging.

Here's some pics. Poplar. I love this park.



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Nice haul of oysters coastwx! I saw lots on my hike yesterday also but decided to pass on them because they seem to have thinner flesh in the summer than in the cooler months. Unfortunately I did not see anything else to harvest or photograph. the rain here has been hit and miss, so it is still somewhat dry here. I'm looking forward to forecasted rains a little latter in the week.

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I have noticed the summer variety are more thin and delicate than the ones last winter. I sauteed and froze for my morning omelets :-)

Yesterday was not productive from a mushroom standpoint. Russula, lactarius piperatus and a super duper bitter bolate, tylopilus fellus possibly. I searched a wash area hard for black trumpets and possibly chanterelles, but only 4 of the real small cinnibarinus ones.

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Hey coastwx, I just hit one of my chanterelle patches today after work and picked up about a pound and a half. The thing about it is that I just checked it Sat. afternoon and there was no sign of chanterelles anywhere. What a difference a few days make! The forecast is for more rain in the next few days. Hope it makes all the little pinheads I saw grow and maybe the trumpets will show. Keep hitting your spots every few days.

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Love this information John. You and Dave are really helping build many of our fugi knowledge. Since I'm back from trips and vacation I'll be able to test some of this better.

I was just thinking this morning how long after a moisture surge do chanterelles pop. I guess that can happen in 72 hours or less. Looking at the rain totals of the area from yesterday, areas between Durham and Raleigh got over 2" with some areas closer to 3". Lake Crabtree here in Raleigh got dumped on yesterday, so plan to visit mutiple times over the next 3-4 days since I work real close (working lunch :-). Last visit I found a number of bolates, older chicken and cinnibar chanterelle, but it was a bit more than a week after heavy rain. Maybe the black trumpets will show as well.



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  • 3 weeks later...

Just an update for central NC. We've had good rains the last 4 days or so. It has remained wet and on Sat we got a 1.5 inch steady rain most of the day.

Went out for a hike at the same local park on Sunday morning. I've never seen so many mushrooms. They were scattered every direction as far as you can see. No black trumpetes, but I'm really learning the good Chanterelle areas in the park. Do not have a pic, but found my first large yellow Chanterelle and a number of other decent size yellows and a ton of the smaller cinnabarinus.

I need to re-read some of the information on bolates, because they were by far the most numerous. Picked 4 that have potential (did not stain and were not bitter)... will post a pic this evening. Chesnut colors top and pinkish tone under cap.

The hike turned real exciting/suprising when I ran across the first Hericium erinaceus this year. Seems early, but builds excitimement for fall forging.

I cut about 70% and left the rest to possibly regrow.

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Here is one of two reishi. Probably should have left to grow a bit more

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I am jealous coastwx! I have yet to find any form of Hericium. I guess that I am never in the right type of woods at the right time of year. You are right. It does seem a bit early for them but it was a great find. Some of the best finds often come when you least expect them.

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and the hericum is a magazine photo quality mushroom. gorgeous find! have you guys been experiencing temps. in the high 50s low 60's at night recently? that's how it's been here, fall-like. it's been on a bit of the garden, but i should keep my eyes peeled for some of these bad boys. i'm tempted to take an oak and get some plugs......there's plenty of unhealthy hardwood around here that would make a suitable host.

either way, some real good finds all around. i'd be pumped!

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Nice Hericeum, coastwx. In my area, H. erinaceus seems to be uncommon. I have never collected it. Nice photo!

Hunter, I just read your post about the mushroom with the gills that radiate from tiny empty squares. This sounds quite interesting. I'd enjoy seeing some photos of this.

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I had no idea these were uncommon in PA... feel a bit lucky. The first H. erinaceus (three on the same log and my first wild mushroon find) last fall was found within a few hundred yards of the one above, so I may have a hot spot or something. That log from last year is turning white with mycillium now, so keeping a close eye on it. Had the one above in omlete this morning. Almost scallop quality in both taste and texture. Just an awesome mushroom.

Brian, we've had cool temps for this time of year, but not that low (highs mid-80's and lows 60-65). Perhaps the last two cooler Canadian high pressure systems that dropped the humidity and low temps triggered something since this usually does not happen until Sep.

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I'd be pumped to find one. I occasionally see that kind of white spray paint-esque cloud starting, but it really good be anything. Never really seems to pan out. Around here I'll be lucky to find one in good shape even in the fall. Probably just that, one or two small ones. There are so many good things to find by me, but the hericium species tends to allude. I've considered trying to grow these on a log. I've seen quite a few pictures of home cultivated ones. Just seems like a lot of work and time for such a small crop.

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