Mushrooms

The Mushroom Spotting Log

One of my favorite activities is mushroom spotting. Of course I don't really know the names of any of the mushrooms, I can only make my best guesses, and those are probably wrong at least half the time. Well, I don't have to know what they are because I don't plan on eating them. I just enjoy looking at them and maybe poking them with a stick.

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Mushrooms of 2024

Artist's bracket mushroom with a rough cool brown top with white edges. — How excited was I to see one of the mushrooms I've been looking for since I got into mushrooms! An exciting hike full of fun sightings including a cute toad and some playful chipmunks. And to top it all off, this beautiful example of an artist's bracket, with a cute caterpiller friend as well. I knocked on it and it felt and made a sound like wood.

Creamy white underside of artist's bracket mushroom, a small black caterpiller clings upside down on the underside of the mushroom — How excited was I to see one of the mushrooms I've been looking for since I got into mushrooms! An exciting hike full of fun sightings including a cute toad and some playful chipmunks. And to top it all off, this beautiful example of an artist's bracket, with a cute caterpiller friend as well. I knocked on it and it felt and made a sound like wood.

Ashy white Stereum mushrooms with golden brown edges. — These felt like thick cardstock paper. Easy to see this pop of color amongst the welcome suffocating green of early spring. A member of the Genus Stereum I believe.

These felt like thick cardstock paper. Easy to see this pop of color amongst the welcome suffocating green of early spring. A member of the Genus Stereum I believe.

Dirty White Shelf Mushroom. — Just a massive shelf mushroom! This thing was like a foot wide. Certainly no longer in its prime but impressive still.

Just a massive shelf mushroom! This thing was like a foot wide. Certainly no longer in its prime but impressive still.

Possible Turkey Tail Mushroom — Turkey tail? I think that's what it is based on the colors. I had taken a picture of the underside but it came out blurry. It's too bad, but I can say the underside is a very light color at least. Very nice bluish colors on these.

Unknown Mushroom — Very pretty with the dusting of snow, another one that I really can't place but look so pretty. I had to climb a bit to get this one.

Unknown mushroom. — I love the colors on this one. I have no clue what it is, my book is not helping and neither is the internet.

I love the colors on this one. I have no clue what it is, my book is not helping and neither is the internet.

Unknown Mushroom — A light dusting of snow began as I found these one. I'm not having luck identifying them, I have so much trouble identifying these types of mushrooms but I still love how they look.

Mushrooms of 2023

Squishy orange Jelly fungus. I definitely played with this one a bit. It was cold and squishy and very satisfying to poke.

Possible Velvet Foot mushroom. — I can't get enough of how juicy these look. It makes me want to eat them, but given I don't trust my abilities not to poison myself just yet I definitely won't be doing that.

I can't get enough of how juicy these look. It makes me want to eat them, but given I don't trust my abilities not to poison myself just yet I definitely won't be doing that.

Possible Velvet Foot mushroom. — These are some pretty mushrooms. I was so excited to see this decent sized bunch of what I think might be Velvet Foot but I should've taken some to make a spore print to confirm that as a very similar looking mushroom is very deadly. One of my favorite finds on this particular excursion.

These are some pretty mushrooms. I was so excited to see this decent sized bunch of what I think might be Velvet Foot but I should've taken some to make a spore print to confirm that as a very similar looking mushroom is very deadly. One of my favorite finds on this particular excursion.

Unknown white mushroom. — Lumpy white mushroom, I wish I got a better picture of it. I don't have a guess for what it is as of yet.

Lumpy white mushroom, I wish I got a better picture of it. I don't have a guess for what it is as of yet.

Possible White Cheese Polypore. — The closest guess I have for this one is a White Cheese Polypore. I find it interesting how it almost looks like a type of seashell.

The closest guess I have for this one is a White Cheese Polypore. I find it interesting how it almost looks like a type of seashell.

Polypore mushroom. — I haven't seen any quite like this before. They were quite large, about 5 inces across growing on this fallen tree that was a host for a few different types of shrooms.

I haven't seen any quite like this before. They were quite large, about 5 inces across growing on this fallen tree that was a host for a few different types of shrooms.

Unknown mushroom. — Don't know what these little guys are but I was happy to see them on a chilly rainy day. They turned out to be a bit of a good omen for mushrooms to come.

Don't know what these little guys are but I was happy to see them on a chilly rainy day. They turned out to be a bit of a good omen for mushrooms to come.

Unknown mushroom. — Not the prettiest to look at but I was so excited to see these because they were massive! I had hoped it was a good sign for the mushrooms further in the woods but I didn't see any more that day. I don't have a guess for what these are just that they're probably a type of bolete. There's so many varieties of boletes in my area that identifying them is pretty tricky for this beginner.

Unknown mushroom. — Ones like this seem to be everywhere and impossible for me to even begin to indentify. There's just so many that look like this. I seem almost guaranteed to find something like these wherever I go.

Unknown mushroom. — Another one I didn't notice on my first pass through. This one I noticed while looking up instead of down for a change. These one were somewhat purple and seemed to totally take over this tree.

Possible Leotia Mushroom. — I didn't notice these tiny black mushrooms on my first pass. They might be some type of Leotia? Maybe Leotia Viscosa but I'd love to see more and get a better picture.

Red jelly like material on a log with a slug. — I have no idea what this is but I thought it looked very cool with the slug. Is this a fungus? Some kind of eggs? I don't have a single guess for what this is but I love this picture.

Possible Artomyces Pyxidatus aka Crown Tipped Coral Fungus. — I was excited to find this cluster because it's unique. My guess for this one is Crown-Tipped Coral Fungus. I like this one a lot, it's very cute to me.

Possible Bolete Mushroom. — Chonky little mushroom, I love it. Might be a Two Colored Bolete, these seem to be pretty common in my area.

Possible Amanita Mushroom. — I love these ones, they're so interesting with their warty cap. I think this is some type of Amanita but I wasn't able to to come close to a specific one when looking around online.

I love these ones, they're so interesting with their warty cap. I think this is some type of Amanita but I wasn't able to to come close to a specific one when looking around online.

Possible Amanita mushroom. — These seem to be pretty common in my woods.

Unknown red and yellow mushrooms. — It had rained so there was a small pool of water in this one's cap. No clue what it is.

Unknown tiny bright orange mushroom cluster. — These ones are so tiny! I didn't notice them at first they're so small, only a few centimeters tall were the biggest ones. Some of them were just tiny little pin pricks of orange among the moss and tree roots. They seemed to persist each time I returned to the woods without ever getting any bigger. All my searching around online brings me to Red Chanterelles and I guess they look like them, but I don't know, these ones are just so tiny. But they don't really look like chanterelles, these are most likely Hygrocybe

These ones are so tiny! I didn't notice them at first they're so small, only a few centimeters tall were the biggest ones. Some of them were just tiny little pin pricks of orange among the moss and tree roots. They seemed to persist each time I returned to the woods without ever getting any bigger. All my searching around online brings me to Red Chanterelles and I guess they look like them, but I don't know, these ones are just so tiny. But they don't really look like chanterelles, these are most likely Hygrocybe

White possible Amanita mushroom. — This is a cool one, I think it's another Amanita. Potentially could be Coker's Amanita as that seems to be the more common white colored Amanita in my area, but as always that's just a guess. Whatever it is exactly it looked really nice nestled in the brush at the edge of the tree line.

Unknown mushroom. — I've got no clue what this one is but it reminds me of cheese.

Possible Green Quilt Russula. — I think this is another type of Russula, maybe Green Quilt Russula. I loved finding this one because green is my favorite color and the crackly pattern of the green color is super neat.

I think this is another type of Russula, maybe Green Quilt Russula. I loved finding this one because green is my favorite color and the crackly pattern of the green color is super neat.

Possible Two-Colored Bolete. — I took these photos one after the other in the same spot so I believe these are the same type of mushroom. They might be Two-Colored Bolete or maybe the toxic Brick-Cap Bolete, more sightings are needed. One of the few times I actually take a picture of the underside because I thought it was particularly interesting.

I took these photos one after the other in the same spot so I believe these are the same type of mushroom. They might be Two-Colored Bolete or maybe the toxic Brick-Cap Bolete, more sightings are needed. One of the few times I actually take a picture of the underside because I thought it was particularly interesting.

Ghost Pipe flower Monotropa Uniflora. — Not a mushroom, but instead, a really cool flower: Monotropa Uniflora, aka Ghost Pipe. It turns out they're quite common in my area. The first time I saw them, there was a big group; there must've been hundreds, and I was so excited to see so many. Each subsequent day, I saw only a handful of them, so I think I'm fortunate to have come across as much as I did that day. Although, on those other days, I was fortunate enough to see the flower in various stages of its life. The ones I saw were a beautiful white with blackened tips. As I understand it, it cannot photosynthesize as it lacks the necessary chlorophyll to do so. Instead, it takes its nutrients from tree roots via the mycorrhizal network of the Russula and/or Lactarius fungi. Truly, a very cool flower deserving to be featured in my mushroom log.

Not a mushroom, but instead, a really cool flower: Monotropa Uniflora, aka Ghost Pipe. It turns out they're quite common in my area. The first time I saw them, there was a big group; there must've been hundreds, and I was so excited to see so many. Each subsequent day, I saw only a handful of them, so I think I'm fortunate to have come across as much as I did that day. Although, on those other days, I was fortunate enough to see the flower in various stages of its life. The ones I saw were a beautiful white with blackened tips. As I understand it, it cannot photosynthesize as it lacks the necessary chlorophyll to do so. Instead, it takes its nutrients from tree roots via the mycorrhizal network of the Russula and/or Lactarius fungi. Truly, a very cool flower deserving to be featured in my mushroom log.

Possible Russula Mushroom — I believe these images to show the same type of mushroom, they were taken on the same day in the same area at least. My guess is these are some type of Russula. I very much enjoy finding these little pops of red color on the on the forest floor.

I believe these images to show the same type of mushroom, they were taken on the same day in the same area at least. My guess is these are some type of Russula. I very much enjoy finding these little pops of red color on the on the forest floor.