Fungi Friday - Mushrooms in the Hand Pt. 2

Here is part two of mushrooms in the hand from 2021 for this #fungifriday by @ewkaw part 1 is here.

Here is a delicate pleated ink cap with my zoom lens in the background. These tiny pleated ink caps last only about a day then melt away into dust.

This is a larger less dried out one. In theory these are edible but they aren't eaten because they melt into almost nothing if you try and cook them.

Here is a strange polypore that I picked in early spring when there were no fresh mushrooms out. I just picked it to see if it had any interesting pore patterns but instead it looks like a typical artist conk polypore.

I'm not exactly sure what polypore this is but it reminds me of
Polyporus brumalis. Sadly this is not edible just because it is so tough and spongy.

Here is a strange looking amanita. I thought it might be Amanita bisporigera aka the destroying angel but I don't see the typical veil around the top of the stem... Typically white mushrooms like this with long stems and a bulb going into the ground should be avoided since those are the features of the deadly destroying angels or deathcaps. Some people think that even touching them is deadly but this is not true. After handling them I just wash my hands in dirt in the forest to rub off any particles from the cap.

Here are some tiny cute little mushrooms. The closest thing that resembles them is Marasmius Ramealis aka twig mushroom. I suspect they might be something different as their stems are very straight compared to Marasmius Ramealis. Perhaps it is a whole undiscovered species that I can name sketchandjamicus.

Now for something completely different. Here is a red spotted purple aka Limenitis arthemis astyanax. I found this newly hatched one still in the process of expanding its wings while hunting mushrooms in the forest. There are always critters to find if there aren't any mushrooms out.

I often find mushrooms on my evening walks. These bright white polypores were easy to spot in the darkness on this small branch. I have no idea which polypore this might be.

Now for a typical LBM (little brown mushroom).

I suspect this is some sort of mycena mushroom as it was growing out of wood. There is also a bonus bed bug looking critter in the gills. I suspect this is an instar of a beetle and it is beefing itself up on mycena meat.

This is a powdery brittlegill aka Russula parazurea. It has a grayish moldy looking cap color with these nice symmetrical gills underneath. The stem is broken because these brittlegills have a sort of chalky texture to them that causes them to break apart easily. Most russulas don't really have a good taste to them and require parboiling to remove toxins, but once you parboil them they get soggy. The only one I would recommend harvesting is the green cracked russula as is can be eaten raw and has no toxins. The powdery brittlegill has a spicy taste to it that burns your tongue so I don't recommend eating them.

Now for one of my favorite mushrooms out in the forest. Cantharellus cibarius aka summer chanterelle or golden chanterelle. I find these out in the dark soil underneath hardwood trees after the first summer rain. They are quite abundant here and I usually eat them fresh in gravy or on pizza. The rest I dry and powder for soups. Their taste is a rich mushroom flavor, and raw they almost have an apricot aroma to them. The only trick with these mushrooms is to go out as early after the rain as possible to make sure you find them before the worms and beetles get to them.

That's all for this #fungifriday more mushrooms in the hand for #mushroommonday :-)