Mushrooms
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In ancient times, mushrooms must have seemed mysterious and
malevolent, appearing suddenly after a rainy spell. Lost to
history also is the first person who dared cook and taste
mushrooms. In more recently centuries, they were considered
the stuff of fairies and elves. And what does Alice of
"Alice of Wonderland" eat to find herself larger
or smaller? A mushroom, of course. Accidental poisonings of
curious children do occur. Nor are accidental poisoning of
adults entirely rare. Usually someone with some knowledge of
mushrooms accidentally picks a poison mushroom along with
edible mushrooms or mistakes a poison mushroom for an edible
one. I take no chances and do not eat mushrooms unless good
fortune has put me in the company of a mycologist who is
registered with a mycological society. Having a sense of awe
in the natural world, I admire their color and endless
variety. Here are a few examples of mushrooms found in and
about our village. Some are quickly identified, others have
questionable identity.
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This is probably Yellow-Orange Fly Agaric or Amanita
Muscaria and considered poisonous. Often found under birch,
poplar or oak trees, these can be seen under one of the four
birch trees on Lexington.
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It appears very much like an edible mushroom called a honey
mushroom or Armillariaella mellea. A spore print of the tiny
seed-like reproductive units which drop on white paper help
in making a sure identification. In this case the spores are
white.
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Chicken of the woods: Laetiporus sulpuhreus. The color and
shape of this mushroom is unmistakable. There is nothing
quite like it. It is considered edible, at least the soft
edges and as its name implies, tastes by all accounts like
chicken. I've never been tempted to try.
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The identity of this one is baffling. It could be a Grisette
or Amanita Vaginata. I am only guessing. However this one
appears to be eaten by an animal and some take this to be a
clear sign of edibility. No so. In the first place, hungry
animals make mistakes and occasionally poison themselves.
Also, as some animals find poison ivy berries tasty, they
are not necessarily a good predictor of what humans can eat.
Neither is the silver spoon test reliable. That is, smearing
a mushroom on a silver spoon without the spoon turning black
is not at all a sure test. I just enjoy looking at them.
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This is Birch Polypore. Even at a distance Pipopours
betulinus is often easy to spon on dead or living birch
trees. This tough mushroom is not edible and will last from
season to season.
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This appears on eof a group of mushrooms called bolete.
Without a peek at its underside or the stem, this is only a
guess. If it is a bolete one would see a spongy underside
instead of gills where the spores are held until released.
The stem and the location such as the type of tree overhead
would give hints as to its identity. A large bolete about
10" across can be seen under the trees at the corner of
Meetinghouse and Lexington and is probably a King Bolete
considered one of the best eating. I'll just look, thank
you.
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This mushroom looks like it came from the ocean and is a
coral mushroom. It is one of the several coral mushrooms,
some of which are poisonous. this one comes up every year
under the Forsythia.
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This peculiar looking mushrooms is called Revenel's
Stinkhorn. As its name implies, this mushrooms smells
terrible. It depends upon flies and other insects attracted
to dung to spread its spores. It is common in parks, and
lawn edges. This one showed up by the mailboxes.
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This Old Woodsman welcomes comments and
suggestions. Just send them
here. The following publication was used in identifying
these mushrooms: "The Audubon Society Field Guide to
North American Mushrooms." By Gary H. Lincoff,
President of the North American Mycological Association.
Published by Alfred A. Knopf, produced by Chanticleer Press,
New York, Copyright 1981.
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