I’ve always loved this book for the title and the cover photo. I know that demented look well. Rain is definitely the friend of the mushroom forager, and we’ve had a lot of it during the past few weeks …
Last year’s drought was rough on ghost pipe (Monotropa uniflora), but it’s rebounding nicely this year. I’ve already tinctured some of it to use for pain relief.
Found this delicious chicken of the woods shortly after we started a hike recently. An auspicious beginning. We found lots of chanterelles, too.I think this is fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) that someone decapitated before realizing that it might not be a great thing to eat. Not sure how it affects wildlife, but it makes humans either sick or transcendent. From wikipedia: “Its name derives from its traditional use as an insecticide. It can cause poisoning, especially in children and those seeking its hallucinogenic effects, due to psychoactive compounds like muscimol and the ibotenic acid; however, fatal poisonings are extremely rare.”This great spangled fritillary was taking advantage of the pollinator gardens Laura has planted.Male and female mating in upper loop north hollow near ridge. They were a bit off the trail and I noticed them only because Althea sniffed them out, which she generally doesn’t do when we find turtles. She mostly ignores them. Then Winter got interested, too. Something about mating/pheromones that made them more interesting to the dogs? Love the way the stick covered with lichen splits the image.I love how delicate and detailed these orange pinwheel (Marasmius siccus) mushrooms are, and how you notice the ones in the background after the one front and center.Found this luna moth clinging to a plant high above the wetland area. I had it framed for a perfect shot, morning light streaming in, beautiful. Then Trash Hound crashed the scene and I ended up with this photo after the moth settled. Still a nice shot but nothing like the one I’d hoped for.This is the best year I’ve had for lobsters. I found this one when walking in an area I don’t frequent, so now I have an additional spot to check.A downed trees shimmering with polypores in the morning light.Mushrooms in the Xeromphalina genus cover a dead stump.Naked-flowered tick-trefoil.Foraging is hard work, and the hounds need time to recover before we go out again. This looks like a crime scene photo, but rest assured they’re both alive and ready for the next hike.
After a dismal drought last year it looks as if the chanterelles are back. We’ve had warm weather and plenty of rain. I’m seeing them pinning everywhere and suspect I’ll have more than I know what to do with soon.Lobster mushrooms are one of my favorite edibles. It’s been a good year for them so far. They start as a russula or lactarius mushroom that gets parasitized by the Hypomyces lactifluorum fungus.I spotted this bull box turtle munching the stem of a mangled russula about 20 feet off the trail recently. There were parts of the mushroom strewn everywhere.A Trash Hound at rest tends to remain at rest, unless …
Found this mangled russula on a beech stump that I inoculated with chestnut mushroom spores after it was cut down to create totem style logs for growing lions mane. We girdled the stump and inoculated it about a year ago. So far, no mushrooms, but a few of the stumps I inoculated with lions mane did fruit this spring, producing tiny lions manes. Not ready to harvest, but a good sign the mycelium is taking over. And the stumps make great tables for the squirrels.This arion slug has been enjoying the rain.In my hunt for black trumpets, I’m finding tons of deceivers. They’re apparently edible, though I’ve never tried them. The name is a reference to the wide range of shapes and forms this mushroom takes.A frog tadpole from our pond, which has become an amphibian hot tub. Toads and frogs have filled it with eggs and tadpoles, and on rainy events it’s a riot of frog and toad calls.
