Many Amazing Mushrooms

Have you noticed all the mushrooms in the woods right now? It is definitely worth going out to explore! I am more of an admirer of mushrooms than an expert. My hope is this blog will help you notice, appreciate and look more closely at the interesting mushrooms/fungi that you come across.

There is a huge variety of fungi to be found now in local woods. Click on an image for a larger view.

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These fungi are roughly in order of size which varies from about an inch to well over a foot. Click on images for a larger view.

Many people are afraid to touch mushrooms. The good news is it is okay to touch them and it will add to your understanding of mushrooms. Even the most poison mushroom is not going to hurt you by simply touching it. Yes, it is a good idea to wash your hands before you eat, but even if you didn't you would be unlikely to get very sick from just touching the mushroom. However, never take a bite of a mushroom from the woods raw. All mushrooms you gather need to be cooked before you eat them or you likely may get at least intestinal distress. There are literally thousands of types of mushrooms and fungi in the northeast. It goes without saying that it is critical to learn how to identify a particular species, know it's look a likes and seek confirmation from an expert, before you even consider cooking some to eat. The size variation of mushrooms is impressive from finger sized to significantly bigger than a hiking boot.

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For scale note the blue shoe in the 2nd photo and the brown shoe at the bottom of the 3rd photos.

Each mushroom is the fruiting body of an extensive mycelial network most often in the soil or a portion of a log or branch that it is decaying. There needs to be a large mycelial network before a mushroom (the fruiting body) emerges that has spores that can waft on the wind to spread the fungus.

I love looking closely and admiring the patterns on the top of mushrooms.

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Fungi plays a critical role in the ecosystem. If we had a world without fungi (and bacteria) most of the trees that died and leaves that fell would just pile up instead of decaying and enriching the soil. Fungus also plays an important role in connecting trees and transferring nutrients. Some call it the "wood wide web".

Some types of mushrooms you tend to find singly and others are in large groups. When

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A portion of the macro fungi (in contrast to the microscopic fungi that make up the mycelial networks) are called mushrooms and many others are loosely referred to as "mushroom". The most common mushrooms with the classic mushroom shape that you are likely to see are gilled mushrooms and the boletes. You may also see chanterelles and toothed fungus. Looking at the underside of the mushroom is one of the important ways to tell different fungi apart.

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The radiating gills from the stem of the mushroom is what gives the gilled mushrooms their name. Another important feature used identify a the species of mushroom is the color of the spore print. Spore prints range from white, yellow and pink to dark brown and black. A fungus print is created by removing the stalk of the mushroom and setting the top gill side down on the paper. You can let the mushroom top rest on the paper for 2 or 3 or more hours until enough spores have been released to see the spore color. (and pattern)

Below are some examples of gilled mushrooms that are found in the CT woods and a sample spore print..

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One group of gilled fungi (Lactarius) produces droplets of latex when broken (see white milk-like droplets in photo below).

Another major group of mushrooms are the Boletes (pronounce boh-LEET). These mushrooms have fleshy pores and generally look more firm and substantial than many of the gilled mushrooms. Most boletes form mycorrhizae with woody plants. Below some examples of boletes found in the CT woods.

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One interesting feature of a portion of the boletes is that they turn blue when broken and exposed to oxygen. You can see this in the above photos of the red bolete and the one to the right. These boletes have a compound (variegatic acid) which is colorless unless it is exposed to oxygen. The video below shows how quickly the oxidation reaction takes place a portion of the boletes.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/95dfda_d26069d7be804c73bad4f53501a5b7a2/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Another well know group of mushrooms are the chanterelles in part because many of them are edible and sought after by chefs around the world. As always do not consider eating them unless you have expertise in identifying them as some of them can cause significant gastric distress. From an initial, look many of them look very similar to the true gilled mushrooms. The well developed folds or false gills often branch and extend down into the stem of the chanterelle mushroom.

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In the future, I hope to write another blog about some of the other interesting "mushrooms" you may come across in our area. Here are examples of polypores (a large & a small), jelly fungus, coral fungus, puff balls and stinkhorns.

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From left to right, polypores (large & small), jelly fungus, coral fungus, puff balls and stinkhorns.

There are so many cool and interesting mushrooms and other things you can notice outside when you take the time to pause.

If you keep your eyes and ears open, it is amazing what you can discover!

Share what you notice with a family member, friend or neighbor.

References:

Mushrooms of the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada, by Timothy J Baroni

https://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/j2003alt.html This blog has a good explanation of the chemical reaction that causes some boletes when broken and exposed to oxygen.