This little brown mushroom isn’t much to look at… at least during the daytime. At night, however, the unassuming mushroom reveals its most interesting feature: it glows in the dark! Known as the “Bitter Oyster,” “Luminescent Panellus,” or “Bitter Oysterling” (if you live in Europe), Panellus stipticus looks like a small, brown oyster mushroom. A helpful feature that separates it from most other oyster-like mushrooms is that it has a tough texture.
In celebration of last night’s meteor shower, I have chosen to discuss a little star that can be found during the day in some parts of North America: the earthstar Geastrum fornicatum. Earthstars are all very similar: they have a puffball-like center surrounded by several pointed “arms,” grow on the ground, and are brownish in color. fornicatum can be distinguished from most other North American earthstars because its arms lift the circular center well above the ground. For this reason, it is called the “Arched Earthstar” (“fornicatum” actually translates to “arched”). G. fornicatum is most commonly found in Southwestern North America, but can be found elsewhere around the world.
Note: This is an archived post. Click here to read the current version of this post. This Amanita is considered edible and many people eat it, although just as many people avoid it because it is easily confused with some deadly poisonous amanitas. Known as the “Blusher,” rubescens is notable because it stains pinkish when injured.
This chanterelle is one of the most beautiful and distinctive chanterelles, thanks to its bright red color. Cantharellus cinnabarinus is small to medium in size, meaning that you have to pick quite a few if you want to make a meal out of them.
This is one of the strangest mushrooms on Earth. It is a gilled mushroom that parasitizes other mushrooms, which already makes it a rarity. Even less common, Asterophora lycoperdoides reproduces primarily through asexual “” This mushroom is commonly known as the “Star-Bearing Powder Cap” or the “Powdery Piggyback.” The former name is more common in the United States, while the latter is primarily used in the United Kingdom.
This otherwise boring polypore has an incredibly strong anise-like odor. Native Americans of the Northern Plains considered this mushroom to have healing and spiritual properties. Haploporus odorus can be found growing on hardwood trees in northern boreal forests. In North America, it prefers the Diamond Willow tree, which gives it the common name “Diamond Willow Fungus.” Another English common name is the “Aniseed Polypore,” which refers to its unique aroma.
The lichen Cladonia cristatella is easy to identify thanks to the bulging, bright red cap that is supported by a thin, pale green stalk. The lichen earned its common name “British Soldier Lichen” because its bright red color seemed reminiscent of the uniforms worn by the British during the American Revolutionary War. cristatella is a common lichen of northeastern North America, but it can be found in many places east of the Great Plains. This lichen is not very well anchored to its substrate, so it prefers to grow in places that are protected from the elements. Look for it on the forest floor, dead wood, the bases of trees, and mossy areas. I have found it growing on rocks, but only in crevices where it is protected from the wind.
This is one of the most common bird’s nest fungi and is among the easiest to identify. Cyathus striatus has a shaggy outer surface and a smooth but vertically lined inner surface, readily distinguishing it from the other bird’s nest fungi. Although frequently found in places like mulch beds, this mushroom’s common name – the “Fluted Bird’s Nest” – is not widely used. More often, people simply call this mushroom by its scientific name.
This bright, attractive fungus is a great example of how confusing mushrooms can be. Byssomerulius incarnatus is distinguished by its bright pink cap and rough undersurface. Although its spore-producing surface is not smooth, it is still considered a crust fungus. To add to the confusion, it is still being shuffled around through a few different genera and it has some kind of relationship with Stereum ostrea (FFF#144) that has yet to be researched.
This mushroom is a common sight on hardwood logs at any time of the year. Its fan shape and circular zones of orange and brown colors make Stereum ostrea look very similar to the true Turkey Tail, Trametes versicolor. ostrea, the “False Turkey Tail,” has a smooth undersurface, which easily distinguishes it from T. versicolor.
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