Mushroom hunting

[DrStrange]

The mushrooms aren't toxic but the red efts certainly are!

On two separate occasions,
I witnessed an Eastern newt do something
which I have never heard of from anywhere else.

The newt had a minnow in a bear hug.
They were lined up belly to belly, head to head, tail to tail.
They were about the same size.
The newt was doing alligator roles with the fish near the surface of the pond.
Even though I was very interested,
it took too long for me to stick around and see how it ended.

My hypothesis is that the newt was poisoning the fish.

 

[slimshavy]

On two separate occasions,
I witnessed an Eastern newt do something
which I have never heard of from anywhere else.

The newt had a minnow in a bear hug.
They were lined up belly to belly, head to head, tail to tail.
They were about the same size.
The newt was doing alligator roles with the fish near the surface of the pond.
Even though I was very interested,
it took too long for me to stick around and see how it ended.

My hypothesis is that the newt was poisoning the fish.

Weird. I had heard it was the back of the newt that secreted the toxin, and that animals could attack the head and belly without harm. Also, I don't know about the easterns, but I know the rough-skinned newts out west are becoming increasingly toxic as they try to overcome the garter snakes who have developed resistance to the toxin. It's all fascinating!

 

[DrStrange]

Weird. I had heard it was the back of the newt that secreted the toxin, and that animals could attack the head and belly without harm. Also, I don't know about the easterns, but I know the rough-skinned newts out west are becoming increasingly toxic as they try to overcome the garter snakes who have developed resistance to the toxin. It's all fascinating!

In this case, I think the poison would have come from the newts belly
and absorbed through the fish belly, *IF* that's what was going on.

The newt poisoning the fish
is really just my best guess about what was going on.

 

[DrStrange]

1 August, 2024.
Chanterelles in Triangle today.
Too hot out for me to pick.

 

[DrStrange]

1 August, 2024.
Chanterelles in Triangle today.
Too hot out for me to pick.

There have been many frequent small rains lately.
Found some fresh chanterelles today.
If we have hamburgers tonight, I'm going to pick some.

 

[DrStrange]

Yesterday:

black trumpets




and chanterelles



and a mayapple

 

[gearbox]

My buddy and I just went out and got a basket full of chantrelles and a basket of king boletes. It's definitely the season now in the PNW.

 

[Altreac]

Had a couple frosts in Regina, so I'm not really seeing much in the last bit.

I ended up with over 7 lbs Elm Oysters dehydrated. A few fairy rings as well.

Shaggy's, Meadow Mushrooms. Those are what I was getting without leaving the city.

 

[esky15]

Had a couple frosts in Regina, so I'm not really seeing much in the last bit.

I ended up with over 7 lbs Elm Oysters dehydrated. A few fairy rings as well.

Shaggy's, Meadow Mushrooms. Those are what I was getting without leaving the city.

I’m still picking tons of shaggies in the Yorkton area even with all the frosts. Little run forecasted for Thursday so hopefully get a sprinkle.

Found a bunch of Agaricus c. a short while ago too, picked about a dozen.

 

[Altreac]

I’m still picking tons of shaggies in the Yorkton area even with all the frosts. Little run forecasted for Thursday so hopefully get a sprinkle.

Found a bunch of Agaricus c. a short while ago too, picked about a dozen.

Nice.

No car for me right now, so I mostly walk Wascana and Cathedral areas. All the Elm Oysters I know have decayed.

And part of my complication is that they mow lawns. There's a bunch of Meadows that grow outside University of Regina, college, but they cut them. Lol. Shaggys too.

I was spotting all sorts of Elms along Dewdney down to 15th and from like Safeway across to Broad? All done 5 in my spots.

I'm not super heartbroken. I got quite a fair weight in not too long when the Elms were flushing heavily. Dehydrated 7+ lbs. Reduced to like 370 grams? (sorry. Mixed units. It's the era I grew up in. Half the stuff in my head is metric, other half imperial).

I'll take a look again. I got a little mushroomed out there! Lol

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[gearbox]

Back out into the woods, I got 3 of these baskets overfilled with chantrelles and king boletes. It's nice to do a little hiking.

That's a tricky one.

The Lobster Mushroom is the result of a fungal infection on another mushroom.

If the original mushroom is nontoxic, like a Russula, then great.

But if you're unable to rule out deadly Amanita as the foundation mushroom,
then ...

I did not know this! Thought they were their own type of mushroom. Thank you for the information. Not that I've been lucky enough to find any anyways, but maybe some day haha.