Official 2023 Yule Log: eastern hemlock with puffballs and hemlock varnish shelf/Ganoderma tsugae decomposing it, symbiotic red russulas and suillus growing nearby. Amoretto cake with quince paste and cinnamon chocolate ganache.

From top: rose pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides), a delicate and fragrant bog orchid; mountain wood sorrel (Oxalis montana), a shade-tolerant perennial with an affinity for mossy nooks; round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), a carnivorous native of the local sphagnum bogs; tall meadow rue (Thalictrum pubescens), which produces loosely-clustered panicles of starry, white flowers; hemlock varnish shelf (Ganoderma tsugae), a beautiful shelf fungus with a lacquer-like surface; a ramp (Allium tricoccum) flower, which emerges from the forest floor in late June/early July after the plant’s leaves have died back; black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), also known as gloriosa daisy, one of summer’s finest wildflowers; and scarlet beebalm (Monarda didyma), also known as Oswego tea, a stunning pollinator plant in the mint family much loved by hummingbirds.   

I wish I knew more about fungi. Is this Ganoderma tsugae, the hemlock reishi, aka hemlock varnish mushroom? I can’t be sure.

Ganoderma tsugae, also known as hemlock varnish shelf, is a flat polypore mushroom. G. tsugae is non-poisonous but generally considered inedible, because of its solid woody nature; however, teas and extracts made from its fruiting bodies supposedly allow medicinal use of the compounds it contains, although this is controversial within the scientific community. (X)

Popular belief was once a statement that this species and Ganoderma oregonense are the same species; however, this statement is not true. The species are quite different in spore shape and uv print. The colouration of these species can also be differentiated by the darkness of varnish. Hemlock Varnish Shelf tends to be more of a red orange compared to the brown orange western varnish shelves that grow on other hosts. These species do share a range in the northern parts of North America. If you live where I do, the midwest, you can usually be certain that Ganoderma tsugae is your id. 

They are edible, but reportedly even the softer white areas are bitter and unpleasant, so I decided to slice and air dry this specimen to make tea, which is traditionally drunk in China as a general health tonic, or to treat specific illnesses, such as some cancers.

This place was like something from a storybook.

Dreaming of summer strolls in the woods and finding these amazing #ganodermatsugae fungi! Ganoderma mushrooms are used medicinally throughout the world and are called #reishi They are thought to balance the human immune system, in addition to being badass decomposers of trees! I personally admire them for their brilliant variety of colors and their ability to become quite large! #HappyFungalFriday to all this first Friday of 2018! •