It’s morel season! Keep an eye out for these beautiful, tasty mushrooms now through late may! There are a few species of Yellow Morels in North America, but Morchella esculentoides is the most common one.
Note: This is an archived post. Read the current version of this post here. Commonly known as the Split Gill, this little mushroom is easily distinguished by its small gills, which appear to be split lengthwise. The Split Gill is a notable mushroom because of its unusual morphology, ecology, and genetics. Before I get into the bizarre world of fungal sexes, I would like to describe the physical characteristics of this distinctive mushroom.
Believe it or not, you can use mushrooms to make paper! Mushroom paper uses the same process as normal paper making and only differs in the type of fibers used.
Lobster Mushrooms are the strangest mushrooms you will ever eat. Yes, these mushrooms are even stranger than edible stinkhorns, which are foul-smelling and sometimes gelatinous. What makes Lobster Mushrooms truly weird is that they are actually a fungus (Hypomyces lactifluorum) growing on top of a mushroom. It is this parasitic relationship that gives Lobster Mushrooms their shape and makes them edible.
This fungus is one of a number of ascomycetes that form hard, flat fruiting surfaces on dead or dying hardwood trees. Most fungi with this fruiting habit are black, making the tree appear as though it were burned in discrete spots. However, at a certain stage in its fruiting body development, Biscogniauxia atropunctata is light gray or white and covered in small, black dots.
Note: This is an archived post. You can read the current version here. This woody shelf fungus is found on locust trees. Because of this, identification of this fungus is greatly simplified if you know your trees.
One of the most common lichens in North America, the Common Greenshield looks a lot like a leaf of lettuce glued to a tree.
Are you interested in collecting and identifying mushrooms on your own? If so, read this post to learn the basics of mushroom collection! What you will need: notebook, pen, pocket knife, wax paper (bags or pre-cut squares), and a basket, box, or fish and tackle box to hold your collections.
Arbuscular mycorrhizae have been around since plants began to colonize the land and were probably instrumental in that transition. Ectomycorrhizae and ericaceous mycorrhizae evolved during the time of the dinosaurs and were successful because of their ability to extract organic nutrients from the well-defined soil. Orchid mycorrhizae were the last to evolve. This probably happened around the same time as mammal lineages started to diverge. Despite the tens to hundreds of millions of years of symbiosis, coevolution does not appear to play a large role in the evolution of modern mycorrhizal partners.
Many plants in the order Ericales (which includes blueberries, rhododendrons, heaths, heathers, tea, and Brazil nut) form unique mycorrhizae. These plants are frequently found living in harsh conditions, like acidic or highly acidic soil. Their aptitude for these types of habitats is likely due to their unique mycorrhizae. There are actually three types of mycorrhizae formed by these plants: ericoid, arbutoid, and monotropoid.
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