Annette shared her shiitake spawn with me, and I gave her some oak logs. Maybe by Christmas we’ll both be eating home-grown mushrooms.
shiitake spawn
Tag: fungi
Amanita pantherinoides
Picture-perfect western panther mushroom rising from the oak woodland floor. The genus Amanita comprises roughly 600 described species, ranging from some of the most poisonous mushrooms known worldwide to a few highly prized edible ones. Notably, Amanita species account for an estimated 95% of deaths caused by mushroom poisoning.
Hericium erinaceus
Omphalotus olivascens
We saw these huge, gorgeous, rich orange-gold mushrooms growing among the roots of a coast live oak. Apparently this species is bioluminescent! And poisonous. Says Wiki: ”while not lethal, consuming this mushroom leads to very severe cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea.”
itty-bitty
We had 200mm (8 inches) of rain over a couple of days. Mushrooms are, well, mushrooming everywhere!
Astraeus
I’m always happy to come across an earthstar, especially in my own backyard.
Suillellus amygdalinus
Fungi season has begun.
under the oaks
I spent much of the day at beautiful King Gillette Ranch, both staffing a booth for Malibu Creek State Park, and enjoying the music of the annual Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest. I plucked this mushroom from under the nearby valley oak and was intrigued by its strong smell, so I asked a few people to sniff and describe. We settled on soy saucy chocolate. Later I found fresh specimens of the same species; their aroma was much milder. No, we were not tempted to taste them.
under oak
Anthracobia
I went off trail, down by the creek, and watched the little fishies, while listening to birdsong. Then I noticed this interesting fungus that reminded me of confetti sprinkles. iNaturalist tells me it’s in the Anthracobia genus.
hashiworks 