Even during the height of winter, it is still possible to find wild edible mushrooms in the forest. These were found a short walk from my front door, growing on a dying Tulip Poplar.
There were also a few other mushrooms out during the snow. The Ochre Spreading Tooth is fairly common throughout much of the year. When you find it completely fresh, it should have a nearly orange coloration to the teeth:
For those of you who have been to southern Indiana during the Fall, a common destination is Brown County State Park. It is one of the most frequented state parks in the entire country, and is especially popular in the fall once the leaves begin to change. It averages over a million visitors a year. Pretty good for a state park. The area is very hilly, and there are several vista points in the park where you can see for miles across the tops of the trees. Below is a picture of me at one of the vistas earlier in the year. For some reason we didnt happen to get a picture of it today. We didn’t even think about it, as even at this late date, the leaves are still not fully turned for the most part.
The agenda for today was a mushroom walk that was an event on the Nature Center schedule. We limited the walk to one hour, as there was a hawk and owl show that was coming up after the walk. The walk was well attended, for a total count of 43 attendees. 47 people including us and two dogs.
In the future, I may need to do a signup list and limit the walk to 20 or 30 people. The group was kind of large, but most left fulfilled. Especially since they got to find a Hen of the Woods. The one we found was growing under a Black Oak, and this was the second time that I have found one under a Black Oak this year. If you ask most people, they would say to look under White Oak, but also be sure to check out Black Oak as well. About half of the one we found was getting a little old, but it still made for a good presentation.
The Hen of the Woods was the major find, but we were also able to come across alot of puffballs, Turkey Tails, and a nice stump of Mock Oysters – Phyllotopsis nidulans. The overall goal of this walk was to teach newcomers some of the basics to look for when identifying a mushroom – what substrate it grows on, whether it has pores, gills, teeth, etc.
After the Nature Center walk we went out for another hour and a half with some of the regulars who attend other Hoosier Mushroom Society events. Here is our total species list for the day. Not too impressive, but we were able to find a few new things for the people who came out.
Species List – October 22, 2011 – Brown County State Park – Nashville, IN
Discovery Trail
Trametes versicolor
Stereum ostrea
Grifola frondosa
Phyllotopsis nidulans
Trichaptum birforme
Lactarius sp.
Ogle Lake -> Nature Preserve
Galerina marginata
Herecium erinaceus
Trametes elegans
Lycoperdon pyriforme
Mycena galericulata
Xylobolus frustulatus
Hypoxylon fragiforme
Lycagala epidendrum
Tremella fuciformis
Pluteus cervinus
Schizophyllum commune
Phlebia radiata
Phlebia incarnata
Brought in (Nashville Area)
Armillaria tabescens
Around Ogle lake, the beavers have taken over. They have dropped trees all around the lake. Recently, the DNR trapped and executed several of them, but there are still signs of recent beaver activity.
This is one of the few deadly poisonous mushrooms in our area. It is called Galerina marginata. Look for it growing on downed wood. It will usually have rusty colored spores and a ring around the stem.
Tremella fuciformis – White Jelly Mushroom. It has started to somewhat degrade in the middle. When it is really fresh, it looks like ice growing out the sides of logs.
And I will leave you with a shot of Xylobolus frustulatus. Commonly found on dead wood. Didnt end up taking too many pictures today, as the park was really busy and I had to keep Kais on a leash. Hope to see you at a future event!
October 18, 2011 – Griffy Woods – Bloomington, IN
Went out for a short walk today. It was fairly cool (under 50 degrees) and had been raining heavily early in the day. Three people came to this walk regardless of the weather. I was hoping for some of the fall mushrooms to start coming out, but alas, still nadda. Seeing much of the same things that have been out during the summer.
The dull orange fungus is Phlebia radiata and the white is, I believe, a slime mold called Brefeldia maxima. I have found these two growing on the same log a number of times this year.
Xerula furfuracea
Pluteus cervinus
Pleurotus ostreatus
Trametes versicolor
Stereum ostrea
Stereum complicatum
Polyporus badius
Spongipellis pachyodon
Lycagala epidendrum
Panellus stipticus
Armillaria rhizomorphs
Trametes elegans
Polyporus alveolaris
Lenzites betulina
Lycoperdon pyriforme
Tremella mesenterica
Brefeldia maxima (maybe)
Phlebia radiata
Trichaptum biforme
Hypoxylon fragiforme
Witches Butter – Tremella mesenterica
October Species List from Hoosier Mushroom Society
We had a really great time hitting the woods with our Lafayette mushroom friends, as well as meeting some new people from that area. We have been trying to move events for The Hoosier Mushroom Society around the state a bit more, and this was our third event away from the Bloomington/Brown County area. The others were at Indiana Dunes and Salamonie Reservoir.
We met at Tippecanoe Battlefield in Battleground, Indiana for the foray. We picked a great location, because right where everyone gathered to meet, there was one of the largest White Oaks I have ever seen with several Hen of the Woods around it in the landscaping. Made for a great picture.
Gloeophyllum sepiarium
Agaricus campestris
Morchella esculenta - Yellow Morel
Chicken of the Woods
A quick story…later in the foray, someone held up a mushroom and a couple of us agreed that it looked like Pluteus cervinus – The Deer Mushroom. We were planning to go to the Purdue Herbarium later in the day, so we saved it to look at its unique microscopic characters. More on that later…
Entoloma sp.
Gymnopus acervatus
Mycena galericulata
Mycena galericulata
Lepiota cristata
Frogitty frog
Maggie reaching for a giant puffball
Pokeberry stain
Purdue Herbarium
We regret to announce that due to the horribly beautiful weather we continue to have and lack of glorious rain, this weekend’s foray scheduled for Saturday September 11th will be postponed until October 2nd. This will also act as the October meeting for The Hoosier Mushroom Society. After the driest Augusts since 1897 and still no rain.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause in weekend plans made. The Hoosier Mushroom Company retail and gift shop, at 30 E. Washington in Downtown Nashville, IN, will be open all weekend so if you are in the area please feel free to stop by and say hello. Also as members of the society, you have access to our library which contains books ranging from mushroom cultivation, identification, composting, cooking and more!
Again, here are the details for the next meeting of The Hoosier Mushroom Society that will take place Saturday October 2, 2010 at 3pm.
Next Meeting of the Hoosier Mushroom Society
The next meeting of this organization will take place October 2nd at 3pm. We are going to be meeting at Morgan-Monroe State Forest. There is a shelter located near Cherry Lake – at the junction of Forest Rd. and Service Rd. There is a large picnic area, and it is close to the forest office.
As with the last event, we would ask everyone to bring a good food or drink item so we can have a pitch-in dinner at the end of the event. Also, BYOB/cocktails.
Directions:
Morgan Monroe State Forest is located between Martinsville, IN and Bloomington, IN – just east of State Road 37. Coming either North or South on S.R. 37, there will be signage along side the road for an entrance into the State Forest. Follow the signs toward the Park Office, which is very near the Cherry Lake Shelter.
Camping:
Available at the Mason Ridge Campground, located behind the fire tower to the north of the Forest Office. There are picnic tables and grills at each of the primitive camping sites. We had a great time camping after the last event!
Schedule:
? – 3pm – Feel free to come early and hunt throughout the park until we first gather.
3:00 – 3:30 – Gather at Cherry Lake Shelter – Introductions
3:30 – 6:00 – Hunting time
6:00 – 8:00 – ID Our Finds, Food, Discussion
We will have printouts of a selected dichotomous key for everyone. We will work through the key together, learning some of the identification basics about what to look for, and how to use a key to identify mushrooms.
Also, be sure to check on your stem butt cultures. Just open the bag and the cardboard. You should see mycelial threads beginning to stretch away from the stem butt locations. They should be coming along nicely for those who made them at the last meeting. Be sure to bring it with you to this upcoming meeting.
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