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.
Fungi appear in the news with surprising frequency. However, many of those stories do not provide any new information. Below is a summary of what we’ve learned about fungi from November 2016 Through February 2017. Read below to learn about: mycorrhizas, A. bisporus engineering, fungal evolution, psilocybin research, fungal concerns in medicine, rock-eating fungi, and more! Visit the associated links to get the full story.
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.
Note: This is an archived post. The current version of this post is available here. This is a beautiful little waxy cap that displays one of the most striking color changes of all mushrooms. Gliophorus psittacinus is easily identified by its slimy texture and bright green color that becomes yellow as the mushroom matures. Because the color fades, older specimens are easily confused with the many other yellowish waxy caps. For easy identification of this mushroom, you really need to find young specimens that are still green and slimy. As with other waxy caps, the flesh has a texture reminiscent of candle wax. However, to experience this, one would first have to get past the considerable sliminess of the cap and stipe. Because of its initial bright green color (which one might term “parrot green”), G. psittacinus is commonly called the “Parrot Mushroom” or “Parrot Waxcap.” Indeed, the root word...
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