Mushroom hunting

[esky15]

Read the part about how to use the field guide first.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms (National Audubon Society Field Guides): National Audubon Society: 9780394519920: Books

Buy National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms (National Audubon Society Field Guides) on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders

www.amazon.com

Sucks about the meadow mushrooms this year.

The guide I use is "All that the rain promises and more..." which is what my brother put me onto. He has the ginormous "Mushrooms Demystified" which was also written by David Arora, which the first book has reference points to MD, which is helpful.

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

warmer weather has brought some fruit, especially oysters

they're not very visible, they're there, just a quick stir fry with beef and vegetables

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

I decided to take advantage of the warmer weather (well, warm until now) and things are definitely popping up and a few reptiles and amphibians are out, as well. Unfortunately still unable to locate any trapdoor spiders, purseweb spiders and scorpions despite others local to me coming across them, and always folks not looking for them! grrr...anyway....

EDIT: I give up on separating all the identities on a smart phone, so they're respectively, after the house gecko, a southern two lined salamander, deadly Galerina (I think? Galerina marginata), a past it's prime lions mane, oyster mushrooms (delicious!) and a soil centipede

Amanita bisporigera, Eastern Destroying Angel

shaggy mane

Mediterranean House Gecko

 

[Lightcs1776]

Love the pics and the information. It is funny to me that I thought mushroom hunting was done, as it was 11 degrees F this morning. Nice to see there are still places that can enjoy this.

 

[Altreac]

This is a great thread.

I had my first season mushrooming this year. It was a short season because it frosted early, but I got to see quite a lot of species of mushroom.

So far I've tried hedgehogs, chanterelles, yellow foots, king boletes and a single admiral bolete.

I can't wait until next season to get back at it.

https://cloud.degoo.com/share/rW0sSyuvwcs50dQWmE3r3g

I'm uploading files to the album now. On my connection, it could take a while.

Definitely following this thread.

 

[DrStrange]

This is a great thread.

I had my first season mushrooming this year. It was a short season because it frosted early, but I got to see quite a lot of species of mushroom.

So far I've tried hedgehogs, chanterelles, yellow foots, king boletes and a single admiral bolete.

I can't wait until next season to get back at it.

https://cloud.degoo.com/share/rW0sSyuvwcs50dQWmE3r3g

I'm uploading files to the album now. On my connection, it could take a while.

Definitely following this thread.

The first couple of your photos are of the artist conch.
You can break it off the stump and do fine engraving (very fine like with a needle) on the white part
and the picture will endure indefinitely.

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

This is a great thread.

I had my first season mushrooming this year. It was a short season because it frosted early, but I got to see quite a lot of species of mushroom.

So far I've tried hedgehogs, chanterelles, yellow foots, king boletes and a single admiral bolete.

I can't wait until next season to get back at it.

https://cloud.degoo.com/share/rW0sSyuvwcs50dQWmE3r3g

I'm uploading files to the album now. On my connection, it could take a while.

Definitely following this thread.

do you belong to iNaturalist? a great community with great identification resources once you learn how to use it.

 

[Altreac]

do you belong to iNaturalist? a great community with great identification resources once you learn how to use it.

I hadn't heard of iNaturalist before. Took a look and there's a decent amount of stuff from here. Very cool.

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

I hadn't heard of iNaturalist before. Took a look and there's a decent amount of stuff from here. Very cool.

you can see what's growing in your area as far as anything, from mushrooms to plants to wildlife. use caution when using it for mushroom identification, however, and you should be fine. the suggestions given are only as good as the pictures you've taken and sometimes they can still be wrong. i've been studying for two years, foraging for one and there are several I've come across where I figured 'better not'. I began studying the poisonous stuff first, most are fairly easy to identify and to just leave alone if you're not sure.

My favorite local edible species so far have been Amanita jacksonii (absolutely delicious), chanterelles, oysters, black staining polypore, chicken and hen of the woods and milk caps. I haven't messed with boletes much as we also have some very bitter ones that grow here and I haven't taken the time to really learn them

 

[Altreac]

The first couple of your photos are of the artist conch.
You can break it off the stump and do fine engraving (very fine like with a needle) on the white part
and the picture will endure indefinitely.

Interesting. There's quite a bit of it around. I haven't seen anyone around here doing art in them so far here. I'll keep an eye out to see if I see any. I'm not much of an artist myself!

you can see what's growing in your area as far as anything, from mushrooms to plants to wildlife. use caution when using it for mushroom identification, however, and you should be fine. the suggestions given are only as good as the pictures you've taken and sometimes they can still be wrong. i've been studying for two years, foraging for one and there are several I've come across where I figured 'better not'. I began studying the poisonous stuff first, most are fairly easy to identify and to just leave alone if you're not sure.

My favorite local edible species so far have been Amanita jacksonii (absolutely delicious), chanterelles, oysters, black staining polypore, chicken and hen of the woods and milk caps. I haven't messed with boletes much as we also have some very bitter ones that grow here and I haven't taken the time to really learn them

I certainly won't eat anything I haven't been properly introduced to, I know enough to know I know nothing.
I've been browsing iNaturalist for a bit just now and it's very cool indeed.

I really enjoy the hedgehogs. They're amazing. Chanterelles are really nice. We never did find any oysters this season. The Chicken was delicious, but I think we took a bit too much that time, it's just so heavy and filling! Ended up wasting some of that one. Still learning for sure.
There's a pretty active local Facebook group here as well that's really helpful identifying stuff.

I'm really just starting to explore. I've lived here in Masset for just over a year now.

 

[Henryluic]

Anyone into it. I like to learn about the types that are out there..

Got this when I was out for deer hunting

 

[Labrecque24]

View attachment 1390055
Got this when I was out for deer hunting

Very nice!
Love to hunt for morels in the spring here in Idaho.

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

View attachment 1390055
Got this when I was out for deer hunting

so early...nice. you. normally don't see them until the spring. they're quite rare here. the only time I've ever been able to collect them was on an old abandoned sawmill on my great aunts land in Missouri. They grow on an an ancient pile of sawdust, the place had been closed for decades

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

I know this hasn't been very active for obvious reasons, but it's warming up a bit, so I've been turning rocks and flipping logs. Almost no significant mushroom finds, but did find this beautiful little tyke. It's a ring neck snake, and although not 'rare', you never see them due to their secretive nature. What a gorgeous little snake, iridescent presumably from a recent molt. Didn't even show me its belly (they have bright red and yellow undersides to discourage predators)

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

Honestly have seen very little, so far, but it's just the beginning. Some shelf and bracket stuff, like this huge guy, and I have some big hands



Mushrooms are only half the fun, though. I'm of course a log and rock flipper, always on the lookout for interesting critters most people don't even know exist. It's still cool at night here, so not everything is out yet, but there are a few...

Eastern Worm Snake. These are pretty common but most people don't even know they exist. I apologize for the poor quality of photos, apparently I need to clean my phone lens



Green tree frog



Worm snake



Most have never seen these little guys, it's a narrowmouth toad. They range in color, this one was almost black



Ringneck Snake

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

Now THIS is worth talking about. I'm a spider guy and am infatuated with what are known as non Theraphosid mygalamorphs, which mainly includes trapdoor and purseweb spiders. They're some of the oldest spiders in the world. Think of them as smaller, mostly hairless tarantulas. However, these spiders are VERY secretive and therefore very rarely seen. After tireless searching, I FINALLY found evidence of a wafer lid trapdoor spider. This would have been a small one and the burrow was abandoned, but it was pretty exciting for me. I know they live here, and it's nice to know I'm barking up the right tree.



This is what an adult female looks like

 

[sknz]

I know this hasn't been very active for obvious reasons, but it's warming up a bit, so I've been turning rocks and flipping logs. Almost no significant mushroom finds, but did find this beautiful little tyke. It's a ring neck snake, and although not 'rare', you never see them due to their secretive nature. What a gorgeous little snake, iridescent presumably from a recent molt. Didn't even show me its belly (they have bright red and yellow undersides to discourage predators)

View attachment 1421181View attachment 1421182

He's enjoying your body heat!

 

[Altreac]

Now THIS is worth talking about. I'm a spider guy and am infatuated with what are known as non Theraphosid mygalamorphs, which mainly includes trapdoor and purseweb spiders. They're some of the oldest spiders in the world. Think of them as smaller, mostly hairless tarantulas. However, these spiders are VERY secretive and therefore very rarely seen. After tireless searching, I FINALLY found evidence of a wafer lid trapdoor spider. This would have been a small one and the burrow was abandoned, but it was pretty exciting for me. I know they live here, and it's nice to know I'm barking up the right tree.

View attachment 1433996

This is what an adult female looks like

View attachment 1433997

That's a gorgeous spider.

There are Pacific trap door Tarantuloid where I am. Spiders are very cool.

Still too early for mushrooms here. We had frost last night.

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

That's a gorgeous spider.

There are Pacific trap door Tarantuloid where I am. Spiders are very cool.

Still too early for mushrooms here. We had frost last night.

Tarantuloid, that's a term I've never heard before! I use the term non theraphosid mygalamorph, but they also go by 'atypical tarantula'. True theraphosid tarantulas are typically the big hairy guys and only exist west of the Mississippi River in the states.

This is a male of the above species. They're astoundingly aggressive lol. I've only seen one and that was in Missouri. They're definitely around, though.




We also have purseweb spiders that are equally as secretive. Occasionally people come across roaming males. Outside of that, they build camouflaged tube webs at the base of small hardwood trees. When prey is sensed, they rip through the tube to grab it and drag it in. Pretty gnarly. I've found ONE but it was in the northeastern part of the state. Their chelicerae and fang size is pretty damn intimidating but they're not very toxic.

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

@Altreac You live in BC?! A destination point for me! I'd love to forage there, I hear it's quite...magical