Posted by Joe M

Alicia, you didn't bring me any mushrooms as you said you would in the previous comment,  but you sent me two pictures of mushrooms that you found at the Upper Payette Lake campground. Really interesting pictures.
I looks to me that the white mushroom is a bolete covered with a parasitic fungi. Probably a Boletus edulis covered with Hypomyces chrysospermus. I am guessing that because the other mushroom looks like a  Boletus edulis. It appears to me that the parasite fungus is starting to take over the reticulation and the pores of the good mushroom; can you see that too? I will discuss it with some people, and I will keep my eyes open when I collect boletes in the future. Thank you!

Early infection

Hypomyces chrysospermus

Posted by Joe M.

Last Saturday 8/2/14 I got my first russula of the season out of Sage Hen, see picture. I am still uncertain of its classification as a specie, and I only got one, so it is harder to identify. The spore deposit is pale yellow and its taste is mild, that should put it into the R. xerampelina group, with the cap colors not quite right, but the literature says is possible.The cap is large, about 14 cms, stem 4 cms wide, widens down, with a bulb 6 cms wide. The gills are white and very brittle, the edge is not striate, but tinted with a vinaceous color.  It has a strong smell, to me, shrimpy or fishy. The spores are about 9 x 7 microns, with warts about 1 micron. Color changes and bruises to brown.

I guess it could be from the R. fragantissima group, maybe the strong smell is just fetid, I don't have enough experiece to tell the difference. But overall, to me, it fits better on the R. xerempelina description.

I am aware that some of you collect R. xerempelina.  Have you found any to be yellow? Do you have any previous experience with this mushroom in Idaho? What do you think?

Today I found some ferrous sulfate pills, I dissolved them in water, and I am going to find me another russula, and look for the color changes...If it turns green, will it be enough proof?

 

Boleteless trip.

We went in a little expedition to a location close to Cascade, we being... Dario B. and Joe M.
We thought that Boletus edulis were out in the area. We have heard from some hot-shots that they already got 10, some days ago. We went to my favorite spots there, and found zero. I guess that they know of an earlier blooming location. We found some signs of a start... 2 Suillus lakei, 1 S. brevipes, several Amanita apricas in buton stage...Maybe 2 more weeks? We moved to a diffent area later, and found additional mushrooms. Here are some of our most interesting findings for the day, ( I am posting the smallest size of picture; if you double click on it, it gets larger):

This is the first time I ran into this mushroom. It has taught me the difference between Entoloma, Volvariella and Pluteus. After a while, I think it is  Pluteus cervinus. Edible. I was able to verify it by taking a sample under the microscope and looking for "horned"cystidia, see below.

This Mushroom was about 8 cm. Very heavy. Dario founded on the ground, so we didn't think that it grows on wood. It looks like a Catathelasma but without a veil. Eventually I figured that it was a
Neolentinus ponderosus, with serrated gills. I didn't eat this one, but I will the next one. I heard that are good, have you tried it?

 This one, I am still working on it. I know that it is a Cortinarius, but I can't find a key for 1 stipe with 2 pileus... ;-)

It was a good trip, good company, had fun, learned a lot. The Boletes will be there, maybe next week!

Blonde Morels

For Joe M. this year's morel hunting success has been only about 10% of last year. By now last year , after getting a good share of Morels, I was getting a decent quantity of King boletes, and I was seen all sorts of Amanitas, Ramarias, Suillus, etc. What is going on? I am a little confused, it looks like, is too early at some places, and too late at others, and I feel like I lost the bus somewhere. Somebody told me that a burned area by GardenValley was really good, but I missed that...Has anybody tried Featherville for morels yet?

Lately I had a little luck with the "Western Blond Mountain Morel" at Sage Hen, Morchella frustrata,  sin: Morchella fallax", but I think that they are done for the year. It showed after the black morel and is much firmer, doesn't crumble as M. snyderi does. M. frustrata is reported from CA and OR, but I am relatively certain of their clasification. Have you collected these before? They cook into a nicely gold color. See pictures: