my cology, my rules

💛 Yellow Clubs 💛

Mycena is a large genus of small saprotrophic mushrooms that are rarely more than a few centimeters in width. They are characterized by a small conical or bell-shaped cap, and a thin fragile stem. Most are gray or brown, but a few species have brighter colors. Most have a translucent and striate cap. Some species, like Mycena haematopus, exude a latex when the stem is broken, and many species have a chlorine-like odor.

i’ve been walking loads around the neighborhood collecting data on a couple field mushroom species that are around here and i might see a conk here or there but THIS! WHO IS SHE

Snails love fly agarics!

Had Chicken of the Woods for dinner two nights in a row thanks to this friendly stranger who picked these for me off a tree outside his house. He caught me taking hella mushroom selfies and agreed to help me upon my insistence that this is a fantastic seasonal mushroom that might taste like chicken! I told him he should definitely try eating it and he declined. One of the perks of mushroom hunting in Southern California is most people don’t know anything about mushrooms; so there’s very little competition for edible mushrooms (no one will steal your “spots”) but I have a feeling if this were the Bay Area, these would disappear as soon as they fruited. I’ve eaten a few new foraged species this year and I can’t wait to find and try more!

My next tiny but exciting find of the walk was this baby coral fungus, which has not yet grown enough to develop the branched tips for which it is known. Mature specimens can be up to 10cm tall, and look wonderfully like tiny orange antlers. 

Forest endeavours 🍄🌿

Ganoderma sessile, most likely

A toothy reishi lookalike, Hydnellum aurantiacum

Stalked Scarlet Cup