FUNGUS AMONG US!

Girl Hiker · Post by **Girl Hiker** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 6:10 pm

I found these really cool Mushrooms and Fungi in a couple of canyons I hiked in Altadena.

Gene · Post by **Gene** » Fri Mar 27, 2020 8:15 am

All mushrooms are edible, some only once.

Disclaimer: Never eat any mushroom you find outside the supermarket.

CrazyHermit · Post by **CrazyHermit** » Sat Mar 28, 2020 6:11 pm

Eating a poisonous mushroom is said to be one of the most painful ways to die.
And if you're unfortunate enough to live, your liver is destroyed for life.

JerryN · Post by **JerryN** » Wed Apr 01, 2020 7:50 am

At least one of these very pretty mushrooms is one of the deadliest mushrooms in the forest.

wesweswes · Post by **wesweswes** » Wed Apr 01, 2020 12:20 pm

There's a lot of mycophobia in our culture, and abroad too in the UK. True, there are several deadly mushrooms, and eating them will kill you and/or your liver, but the majority will only give you a transient gastritis. This is not to say you should eat anything you find that you are not fully confident in the identification of, but rather for some prespective. I've been eating wild mushrooms for years, but also studying them for longer, and attending mycological society meetings regularly. So if you don't know mushrooms, don't eat 'em!

All that said, you probably found yourself these, and could verify by comparing some more identifying features:
1. probably Agaricus sp?
2-3. likely https://www.mushroomexpert.com/coprinop ... egata.html
4-5. likely https://www.mushroomexpert.com/trametes_versicolor.html
6 ?
7. maybe Pluteus sp?

JerryN · Post by **JerryN** » Wed Apr 01, 2020 2:02 pm

No. 6 looks like galerina
4-5 may well be stream
2-3 corts?

wesweswes · Post by **wesweswes** » Wed Apr 01, 2020 3:38 pm

2-3 probably not cortanarius since the gills are deliquesing. That's more coprinoid mushrooms

JerryN · Post by **JerryN** » Wed Apr 01, 2020 3:45 pm

Wes, likely right, the stipe doesn't look right for a cort also.

Girl Hiker · Post by **Girl Hiker** » Wed Apr 01, 2020 4:57 pm

wesweswes wrote: There's a lot of mycophobia in our culture, and abroad too in the UK. True, there are several deadly mushrooms, and eating them will kill you and/or your liver, but the majority will only give you a transient gastritis. This is not to say you should eat anything you find that you are not fully confident in the identification of, but rather for some prespective. I've been eating wild mushrooms for years, but also studying them for longer, and attending mycological society meetings regularly. So if you don't know mushrooms, don't eat 'em!

All that said, you probably found yourself these, and could verify by comparing some more identifying features:
1. probably Agaricus sp?
2-3. likely https://www.mushroomexpert.com/coprinop ... egata.html
4-5. likely https://www.mushroomexpert.com/trametes_versicolor.html
6 ?
7. maybe Pluteus sp?

Thanks for the info.

Girl Hiker · Post by **Girl Hiker** » Sun May 03, 2020 12:43 am

I hiked on the Bear Canyon Trail to Chiquito Falls today and found these cool mushrooms.

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20200502_091305.jpg

wesweswes · Post by **wesweswes** » Wed May 06, 2020 4:14 pm

That second one is probably a puffball. I've seen them around lately, and can be edible depending on how old it is. Nice finds!

JerryN · Post by **JerryN** » Mon May 18, 2020 12:42 pm

I saw two of these puffballs on the side of Mt. Wilson last week. Their edible stage doesn't last long. Both had a ton of spores just ready to be set free.

When they are young you have to be sure they are puffballs and not the egg of another mushroom. So, echoing Wes' comment in another post, don't eat them unless you are absolutely sure and know how to identify the ones that look like it, but are not.

wesweswes · Post by **wesweswes** » Tue May 19, 2020 4:50 pm

Exactly... for the novice mycophiles, puffballs when immature are solid white when bisected. If there appears to be primitive gill/cap/stem structures that suggests it is actually an "egg" of a Amanita sp. which has potent liver toxins and is deadly. If it is solid white, without such structures, it is most likely an immature and edible puffball. If it is dark and/or powdery inside, it is a mature puffball (not edible). LA mycological society is a great place to learn more for those who are interested, but I suggest not going for it unless you are very certain! The puffballs aren't that amazing in terms of tastiness anyway.

JerryN · Post by **JerryN** » Wed May 20, 2020 9:31 am

Wes are you a LAMS member? Did you go to Christian's talk Monday?

wesweswes · Post by **wesweswes** » Wed May 20, 2020 11:19 am

Yeah, I have been for a few years now. You too? I zoomed in for that meeting; he's a pretty good speaker! I lived in Seattle for a couple years and was part of PSMS while up there too.

JerryN · Post by **JerryN** » Wed May 20, 2020 11:36 am

Yes, I have been a member for about 10 years. Christian is really knowledgeable.

wesweswes · Post by **wesweswes** » Wed May 20, 2020 12:25 pm

Cool! hope to say hi in person once the in person meetings resume

JerryN · Post by **JerryN** » Wed May 20, 2020 12:43 pm

looks like that is the October meeting -- see you there

wesweswes · Post by **wesweswes** » Sun Oct 06, 2024 11:10 pm

Found this chicken of the woods near sentinel Creek in Yosemite valley last week

Girl Hiker · Post by **Girl Hiker** » Mon Oct 07, 2024 6:36 pm

Pretty cool!

Post by **dima** » Mon Oct 07, 2024 7:30 pm

Hard to tell from the photo. IS IT AS BIG AS HER HEAD???

wesweswes · Post by **wesweswes** » Mon Oct 07, 2024 11:41 pm

Dima, it was even bigger than her head... However while the flavor was great, it was a bit dry, probably in part because we cooked it over a camp fire on a cast iron. Might have been an old specimen too

wesweswes · Post by **wesweswes** » Mon Oct 07, 2024 11:45 pm

The said fungus in question:

Post by **JeffH** » Tue Apr 22, 2025 2:26 pm

I saw this one off-trail in the Wilderness Park last week, maybe two inches across. Maybe Cecilia can identify it...

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