This year's Train Wrecker at work - Neolentinus lepudeus

Krista Willmorth called this afternoon with a question about Oyster mushrooms with a light anise odor. She brought them by for a look-see and they turned out to be very young Neolentinus lepideus, old genus Lentinus. This fungus causes brown rot in conifers and hardwoods. This is the reason for the name change. White rot fungus were kept in the genus Lentinus. We went back to her site to take pictures and make sure they were not Oysters.

This is one of two logs full of these mushrooms. This log appears to be cottonwood. Their odor is fragrant, anise-like. They are somewhat edible when young and cooked for a long time to tenderize them. Some people find the taste disagreeable. I would say don't eat it. Oysters are so much better. These will fruit in the spring and fall following cool wet weather so it is easy to confuse them with the Oyster mushroom. These mushrooms were young enough that the scales on the cap and the serrated gill edges were just starting to develop. Since Krista did not have her camera with her, I took the picture and posted it for her. Great find Krista! Genny S.

News from the Upper Country

I went up the road from my house in a part of the controlled burn area. While no morels were showing, there is fungal life showing! I found a variety of cup fungi, some gyromitra, and lots of peziza or pig ears! My students are reporting large quantities of brains, and some claim to have found morels.....I told them to prove it, because it has been cold. I suspect some verpa have been showing, so it shouldn't be too long! Best wishes hunting next weekend...I will be with students in Washington DC Sue

Lentinus lepideus

Don't get too excited, this is a photo from a few years ago. But while Miss Genny and I are going through photos for the poster displays, she thought you might like to see this one from Paul.

Don't know where he found it. Perhaps he can fill us in. reta

Diderma cinereum

No, not a mushroom, but not a bunch of insect casings like I had thought either. After digging out one of the "eggs" I found spores in it. This is Myxomycetes, slime mold. reta

Saturday evening I got a call from son Matt about mushrooms growing in his garden. I asked to come over and take pictures of them, because I knew what they were from the phone picture and I did not have good photos of them. Growing on buried wood. Coprinellus micaceus. Old name is Coprinus micaceus if you are using older books. Genny S.

Coprinopsis atramentaria

This is the first of 3 groups "hatching" out of the gravel in my shrub bed. Tomorrow I'll have a taste, today I tested my homemade blackberry wine and don't want any stomach upset. (Kevin, there are more than 4, I'm just saying. hehe)reta

First Blood

Hello this is Kevin S. I found 4 Blonde Morels on the Green Belt tonight. They are just now starting from what I can see. They were all in one spot. I would guess we need at least 3 or more more days.

Spring Mushrooms in Parma/Hammett

When Bryan was at a gold mining dig, I walked around and found some mushrooms - down in Parma, where the weather has been a bit more springlike than up here in Cambridge. I didn't have my book, so am looking for some help with these.




I think this might be Agaricus silvaticus. It stained light pink on the stipe when scratched. Found in a pasture in Parma.

These white spored mushrooms were found in a fairy ring in a sandy soiled pasture. I also found them underneath sagebrush in some rangeland, and near Russian olives in Parma. Any ideas?

Mystery Picture of the Week?

I saw this flash of bright red-orange color coming from a stack of old (cottonwood?maple?) trees. Had to crawl under this huge tree on my belly and stretch my arms out to get a shot. Didn't even know how beautiful it was until I crawled out. Any ideas? reta

Lycoperdon pyriforme

I found this old puffball yesterday hidden in the grass on a sandy, sagebrush shelf.












The Flammulina velutipes was in a boggy area by the Snake River.
(Had to show Kevin, I too can find edibles. Though I had a hard time getting that puffball down. hehe) reta

valley county

valley county idaho
fungi i have encountered