Sunday, September 29, 2013

Rosy Red Russula and Fresh Orange Lobster Mushrooms

I walked for almost 3 hours today, checking on some mushrooms I saw last week and exploring new areas. Viewed today:
  • Rosy Russula
  • Short Stemmed Russula
  • Cascade Russula
  • Lobster
  • Fircone Cap
  • Glistening Inkcap
  • Some kind of Stropharia
  • Sulphur Tuft
  • Western Painted Suillus
  • Golden Chanterelle
  • Tootled Jelly Fungus
  • Pear-shaped Puffball

Here is a video of some of the Rosy Russulas.
Often I see these plentiful (and inedible) mushrooms with a flat brown/burgundy colour on top, but the rains have produced these cherry red effects and lots of shinny slime on top. Like candied applies strewn across the ground.

I checked on a mushroom I saw last week which I think is Sulphur Tuft. Here is a side by side comparison with last weeks photo and todays:
These are growing at the base of an old alder tree which sported Oyster Mushrooms two summers ago and fell down over the winter. Growing as it is on this deciduous log, rules out a lot of similar mushrooms, including Hypholoma capnoides, which also has grey gills, which these do not have.

There were lots of LBMs and several patches of what I think is Coprinellus micaceus or Glistening Inkcap.


Further down the trail I checked in an area where I found Cauliflower Mushrooms in previous years, after seeing Mike Orr's spectacular recent find: http://youtu.be/o972nq9ebDw I didn't find any Cauliflowers but found a whole bunch of  Pear-shaped Puffballs. I have not actually found any of these on my own before, only with Jessica Wolf who pointed them out in a forest in Cedar. They were really tiny so I didn't pick any, but will check back in a few days and see how they are coming along.

 Then, towards the end of the day I moved to another nearby forest and found two lovely specimens of Lobster Mushroom which I brought home and cleaned. These were alongside a flush of Cascade Russulas -- their probable victims.
Young Fresh Lobster Mushrooms

Monday, September 23, 2013

Golden Chanterelles Love Rock, Who Knew?

On Sunday, September 22nd, I walked through a piece of forest very near Nanaimo just off a major trail. I found a bag that someone left behind, full of White Chanterelles about 2 weeks old by the looks of them and by my estimate of when the Whites were at their best.

Made this video after walking for about 1/2 an hours:

Was surprised to find the mushrooms just below a scree of rocks, covered over with moss and Oregon grape. The trees were small and tightly packed together in this steep rocky zone with some moss covered logs here and there. I usually associate Chanterelles with pockets of woody debris or in light salal. Further down the hill I found more, just emerging and still in the button form, again, right out of rock falls with a covering of moss.

I suspect that this habitat was noticeable because the salal and other bushes were absent, thus affording a good view of the emerging mushrooms, rather than any preference for rocky soil, but I would be interested to hear if others have found this to be the case.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Revisiting a White Chanterelle Patch

Today I walked up to the White Chanterelle patch I reported on two weeks ago, and had a look around. The little one by the log that I left was gone, but there were lots of new ones. The new ones are softer and bigger, the rains of the last two weeks have accelerated the flush. Here is a video of what I found.
I could have taken how about a dozen nice big Chanterelles, but I still have a fridge full, so have left them for YOU!

Also saw the following mushrooms today:

Short Stemmed Russula
Rosy Russala
Lots of BUMS (boring ubiquitous mushrooms)
Some chorals

And these that I have not yet identified:
A nice large firm fruiting body which I left to check up on when it has opened more.

Maybe Sulfur Cap, I have a spore print on the go.

Another shot of the same mushroom

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

The Mushrooms I will Taste, or have Tasted, on Vancouver Island

I spent some time this evening writing down all the mushrooms on Vancouver Island I would consider eating or at least tasting. There are 48 of them. Of the ones I have tasted I give a 1 to 5 star rating. In reality I think it is likely I will find and taste about 30 or these. Of those I taste, I expect I will choose to seek out around 20. I'll highlight the 20 that are top on my list. Some on that list are probably pretty rare in the areas I go hunting, so when all is said and done I will probably end up collecting a dozen or so regularly. So far my favorites are the Hedghogs, the Morel, and the Giant Puffball. I also rather like the Lobster when it is not too old. I eat a lot of Chanterelles, but they are not my favorites, though I do like them. I'm keen to find and taste Matsutake, Delicious Milk Cap, Club, and the Pear Shaped Puffball. I also plan to brave the Fluted Black Elfin Saddle this year if I they come out in good numbers. Some reports say they are as good as or better than Morels if cooked properly, so we shall see. I have seen lots of them in the past, as well as lots of the Clubs, but hadn't known they were edible until researching them last year. If anyone is keen to show me a good Matsutake patch, I would appreciate it very much. I'm told there are areas near Ladysmith that are known to produce the much sought after Pine, so if I don't hear from anyone I guess I will just start exploring! Here is my edibles list:

E = Edible
C = Choice
Have Eaten? Visual Feature Common Name Have Found? Latin Rating out of 5 Stars
E N Gilled Delicious Milk Cap U Lactarius deliciousus
E N Gilled Cascade Russula N Russula cascadensis
C Y Gilled Oyster Mushroom Y Pleurotus Ostreatus ****
E w Caution N Gilled Angle Wings U Pleurotus porrigens
E Y Gilled Late Oyster Mushroom Y panellus serotinus ***
C N Gilled Blewit N Lepista nuda
E N Gilled Western Amethyst Laccaria Y Laccaria ametysteo-occidentalis
E N Gilled Fried Chicken Mushroom N Lyophyllum decastes
C N Gilled White Matsutake Y Tricholoma magnivelare
E N Gilled Honey Mushroom N Amillaria mellea complex
C N Gilled Fairy Ring Mushroom U Marasmius oreades
E N Gilled Shaggy Parasol N Lepiota rachodes
C N Gilled Meadow Mushroom U Agaricus campestris
C N Gilled Prince N Agaricus augustus
E with caution N Gilled Alcohol Inky U Coprinus atramentarius
C N Gilled Shaggy Mane Y Coprinus comatus
E N Gilled Glistening Inkcap U Coprinus micaceus
E N Gilled Smokey-gilled Woodlover N Hypholoma capnoides
E N Gilled Gypsy Mushroom N Rozites caperata
E N Gilled Violet Cortinarius N Cortinarius violaceus
E N Gilled Slimy Gomphidius Y Gomphidius glutinosus
E N Gilled Rosy Gomphidius Y Gomphidius subroseus
E N Gilled Wooly Pine Spike U Chroogomphus tomentosus
E N Pored Short Stemmed Slippery Jack Y Suillus brevipes
C N Pored Admirable Bolete Y Boetus mirabilis
C N Pored King Bolete N Boletus edulis
E N Pored Aspen Bolete N Leccinum insigne
E with Caution N Pored Orange Birch Bolete N Leccinum testaceoscabrum
C Y Pored Conifer Coral Hericium Y Hericium abietis
E N Pored Beard Tooth N Hericium erinaceus
C Y Pored Hedgehog Y Hydnum repandum and Hydnum umbilicatum *****
C N Club Club Y Clavariadelphus truncatus
C Y Coral Cauliflower Y Sparassis crispa **
C N Ridges Pigs Ear Gomphus N Gomphus clavatus
C Y Ridges White Chanterelle Y Catharellus subalbidus ****
C Y Ridges Pacific Golden Chanterelle Y Cantharellus formosus ****
E Y Ridges Winter Chanerelle Y Catharellus infundibuliformis ***
E N Ridges Blue Chanterelle N Polyozellus multiplex
E N Toothed Toothed Jelly Y Pseudohydnum gelatinosum **
C Y Puffball Western Giant Puffball Y Calvatia booniana ****
C N Puffball Pear Shaped Puffball N Lycoperdon pyriforme
E N Puffball Dusky Puffball N Lycoperdon nigrescens
C Y Puffball Gem-studded Puffball Y ycoperdon perlatum *
E N Puffball Meadow Puffball N ascellum pretense
C N Morel Black Morel Y Morchella elata *****
E with Caution N Morel Early Morel N Verpa bohemica
E with Caution N Elfin Saddle Fluted Black Elfin Saddle Y elvella lacunosa
C Y Other Lobster Y Hypomyces lactifluorum ****

Saturday, September 7, 2013

White Chanterelles are Out!

Walked through a forest near Nanaimo and after about 40 minutes found some White Chanterelles, and then found a very large patch a little further along. Ended up with several pounds of them.


There had been pickers out before me, as evidenced by cut stipes, and I met a man and his son who also had a bag of Chanterelles. We chatted about the best places to find them in the area and it seems that both he and I have been finding them beside logs and in the lower slopes of hillsides.

Here are some photos from the field:


And a couple of videos. This first one shows a typical forest habitat favoured by Chanterelles, and the second one is a few questions for other enthusiasts.


Questions:

Close up:

White Chanterelles