Mushroom Log
2011
1/1 Happy New Year!!! Today it will be about 50 degrees. Plan to explore Douglas State Forest for Chaga today. Today is supposed to be 43 seconds longer than yesterday. I wonder what I could do during those 43 seconds?
Right after lunch I went and explored part of the Midstate Trail. Saw quite a few Nectria damaged Black Birch but found no Chaga. It was nice to be back in the woods again. I took my GPS with me since I was exploring new territory. It helped me choose a way back that did not involve retracing the way I came. Pictures
1/4 It got up above freezing and I went to Northboro to check out the Black Birch where I found my largest ever Chaga, on 2/21/06. The tree is still alive and there was some new Chaga growth. I got about 3#. Pictures
1/5 Arkadiy Pitman sent me a link to a Russian site which features pictures of mushrooms. I made up a page featuring their national favorite mushroom, the King Bolete or as they call it Bellii Grib. 2 pages of Pictures
1/11 Have been working in updating and organizing the web site. After Guill gave me a possible name for the Chaga like growth on a Black birch I thought of others similar growths I have seen and decided to start a page that shows the Chaga lookalikes. Pictures
1/16 I was searching the Internet for new information about Chaga. I found these informative U Tube videos about Chaga. Check them out.
1/30 A series of snowstorms have deposited about 3 feet of snow on the landscape so I have not been walking in the woods. I am well stocked with Chaga so I will relax and drink Chaga tea until the snow melts away. No sign of a thaw yet. More snow is predicted in two days. Today will be 2 minutes and 43 seconds longer than yesterday. January has reached its end. Just a short month of February now and we will be entering the month that brings spring. This year we had more snow than any year in the past 20. As it melts it should provide plenty of moisture for the mycelium. I hope this will be a great year for mushrooms to make up for the poor one last year.
2/11 Today I decided to experiment to see effect if any Chaga tea would have on my fungi infected toenails. I bought a plastic container, with a lid, large enough to put both my feet in. I cut up some Chaga and brewed about 1.5 gallons of strong tea. I put the tea in the plastic container after it cooled somewhat. Then I soaked my feet for about an hour. I then placed the lid on the container. The next day took out about half of the tea and reheated it on the stove. Poured it back into the container and soaked my feet again. I plan to soak the feet once or twice a day for about a week and then stop and see if I notice any difference. In Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets, on page 253, he tells about a fellow who used ground up Chaga to heal a lesion caused by fungus on an American Chestnut. If it cured a tree I think that there is a good chance it will kill the fungus in my toenails.
3/11 In the past week there were temperatures near 50, rain and wind. This melted most of the snow. There is a feeling that spring has arrived. I am exploring new sites close to the apartment where I live. There is about a 150 acre parcel across the road from where I live that has wet spots. This looks like a good place to find some Scarlet Cups. The other site is about as large but it is high ground. It will be interesting to see what I find at these locations. Today I found two polypore which have been brought back to life. Pictures
3/21 Now that it is officially Spring things should be starting soon. I am killing time by exploring nearby sites for the first time. There is a plot of land across the street from where I now live that is about 200 acres in size which I am now exploring. It appears to be private land that was originally owned by Whitin Machine Shop and textile works. The new owner appears to not mind if people use the land for recreation since it is covered by trails, the main once made by 4 wheel all terrain vehicles. Some parts of this parcel is wetland and I am hoping to find early mushrooms like Scarlet Cup and Devils Urn.
3/22 Found a jelly fungus growing on a dead oak sapling. Dark brown to almost black. I thought it might be Wood Ear but the spore print was yellowish which indicates something else. On the Internet I found what has a common name of Brown Witch's Butter aka Exidia recisa. Mushrooms of Northeastern North America call it Amber Jelly Roll. They do not give the color of the spore print. They say it fruits May to October so this one jumped the gun a bit. That is is what I make this to be. Pictures
3/28 The weather has turned
cold and dry the past week or so, frost at night and about 40 during the day.
The weathermen are promising some rain and a warming trend in about another
week. I continue to explore the parcel near my apartment. I was
thinking about the Amber Jelly Roll I found a week ago and remembered finding
something similar a few years back. Bill Neill identified this jelly
fungus that I found on 8/26/06 as being Exidia recisa:
http://mushroomhunter.net/chanterelle_hill4.htm
On 5/21/07 I found something close in appearance to that one I found this year
but it was singular and growing on a dead grape vine:
http://mushroomhunter.net/grafton521_3.htm
Bill Neill identified that one also. Reading up on jelly fungus on Tom
Volk's site I learned that some of them overwinter. It appears that they
can dry out for the winter and then be brought back to life by a good rain.
This could be what happened to the one I found on 3/22.
4/8 We have had about 1.5" of rain in the past week and the temperatures now get regularly up into the 50's. The weathermen are predicting no frost at night for the next 9 days and the temperature will be going into the 60's. I think spring has finally arrived. I went to Sawink Farm, in Westboro, today to see if any early mushrooms have made their appearance. I checked the wet spots for Scarlet Cup and Devil's Urn. Maybe the mushroom guides are right and they do not grow in my area. They say to look in NY and points west and south. The Berkshires, which border NY is the only place I know in New England where they are found. I found one interesting fungus growing on about a 16" maple. Pictures
4/13 Now we are finally
getting some rain. The total so far is 1.5" from this storm.
Hopefully this will kick start the fungus into fruiting. Bill Neill
reported that he was Pittsfield last Sunday and saw a red cup fungus. Hope
that was a scarlet cup. When he came home he found Mica Caps growing in
his yard. I finally broke down and joined the Mushroom Observer. Tom
Volk was again complaining that he has never seen the fruiting body of Chaga.
I wanted to let him know how he could see it but I had to join in order to post
a comment. So here it is:
http://mushroomobserver.org/8136
It looks like I had quite a few visitors to those pages and I heard from Britt
Bunyard Editor in chief, FUNGI. He wrote:
Vladimir, excellent photos. Very few people have ever
seen it. I would like to publish your images in an upcoming issue of FUNGI
Magazine (www.fungimag.com) if you will permit us. If so, we will need hi res
original photos. We are putting together a big feature on Chaga and your photos
would be extremely useful and widely seen. Please get back to me to let me know.
Best,
Britt
Editor in chief, FUNGI
4/14 Went and checked out the wet areas across the street. No sign of fungal life yet. Soon though.
4/15 With the interest of Fungi Magazine in the fruiting body of Inonotus obliquus I decided to visit the tree that produced the first fruiting body that I photographed. Picture story.
4/21 The weather continues
to be cold with daylight temperatures in the 40's and 50's. We have had
about an inch of rain in the past week but no sign of new mushrooms. I
started planning my trip to the Berkshires to see if I can find and photograph
the Scarlet cup and the Devil's Urn. I tried contacting the Berkshire
Mycological Society but their posted e-mail address is not valid as this bounce
message states:
<berkshiremycology@lycos.com>:64.98.36.4 does not like
recipient.Remote host said: 554 5.7.1 <berkshiremycology@lycos.com>: Recipient
address rejected: user berkshiremycology@lycos.com does not exist Giving up on
64.98.36.4.
The fellow who runs the web site makes it clear that he does not
like to get or answer e-mails. If that is so why does he put up an e-mail
address that is not valid? In my opinion that is poor manners. I was
planning to go to their first foray on May 1 but they are predicting showers for
that day. So I plan to go earlier and see if I can find those mushrooms on
my own.
4/27 Yesterday it got up to
82.5 degrees at my apartment in Whitinsville. Today it is in the 70's.
maybe spring has finally arrived. I am getting postings from the NJ
Mycological Society's Yahoo group and they are reporting Morel in NJ. One
fellow posted: "Of course they are up. Black morels have been up for 2
weeks in some spots in the Greater NYC Metropolitan area."
Yesterday I checked a spot in Oxford and found only a bit of yellow jelly.
I did find one yellow birch that might be dead enough to produce an Inonotus
obliquus fruiting body this year. I harvested Chaga from it about 2 years
ago. It has developed several vertical cracks in the bark, one about 2
feet long. I will check on it periodically to see if the cracks grow and
the bark start pulling away from the trunk.
Today it was in the 70's and I went to Grafton to check a few apple stumps for
fungi. Found none. While taking a rest stop by a small rivulet of
water I was admiring the rich green leaves of Skunk Cabbage. On the
outskirts I noticed plants with smaller leaves that appeared to be different.
The leaves were pointy. I thought of Ramps which were discussed on the
Wild Mushrooms discussion group. I asked in a post as to what kind of
environment Ramps are found. Only one person answered and the answer was
"I find them everywhere". That does not help someone who is trying to find
them for the first time. I tried to pull the plant but the leaves tore
off. I smelled the torn leaf and it smelled like garlic! I tasted a
small piece of leaf and it stung like garlic! Eureka, I found my first
Ramp! I wound up smelling and tasting them as I picked them. After a
while my tongue felt like it had needles in it. It took about an hour for
the tongue to feel normal again. Pictures
5/1 Went to the Berkshires this morning. I got there about 7:30 AM and decided to see if I could find some Scarlet Cups on my own. The only hint I had is that they are found near a small brook. I checked both sides but found nothing. In the woods I did find one Stalked Scarlet Cup, Sarcoscypha occidentalis, a first for me. I removed some dry leaves and found one other but very small one. It was growing on a rotten stick about 1/2" in diameter. I took the stick with the mushroom on it and placed one end in a coffee cup with water in it. Within 15 minutes the mushroom turned it stem 90 degrees in order to be facing up. It apparently was not getting enough moisture as it soon weathered away.
When the members of the BMS returned from their foray I was waiting for them. They found 4 Scarlet Cups and were kind enough to give them to me for my study. They also found about 5 small False Morel, most likely Gyromitra korfii, one large Devil's Urn plus a few LBMs.
I have the Cups individually sacked in sandwich bags each resting on a slide. I should have good spore prints and pictures by tomorrow. Today I am just too pooped to do the work. Pictures
5/6 Went to Oxford site to
check on the crack in the bark of the yellow birch. It looks like the
crack was triggered by a hunter pounding in a foot rest into the tree as he
climbed it. I measured the length of the crack and it was 21". This
way I will better tell if it starts to grow in length. Today it looked as
long as the first time when I noticed it on 4/27.
Then I found a group of little brown mushrooms growing by a large chunk of oak
that someone cut and chopped. I also found two Hemlock on which Ganoderma tsugae is sprouting.
More showers are predicted for tomorrow. Pictures
5/12 The weather continues to be un-mushroomy, cold and dry. I visited the Oxford site again. The Ganoderma tsugae sprouts do not look any different. No sign of any other mushrooms. The swamp water level is high, some trail is flooded. Weathermen are promising some rain and warmer weather for next week. I hope they are right this time.
5/13 I heard from a mushroom
hunter a bit west of where I live. Here is what he says:
I am a mushroom hunter out in Chicopee MA. I have found Morels around dead Elm
in several locations starting around the fifth of May, but things have slowed
down with the dry weather. All of the morels I found were by Elms that were
along the edge of the woods where they could get a healthy dose of sun and
warmth. I have also found many LBMs and ever an umbrella polypore.
5/14 Riding on Rt. 30 in
Westboro, on May 7, something white on a tree caught my eye. I went back
and took a look. Picture
Report that Morel were found under old Apple trees
and dead Elm, in quantity, in Deerfield MA.
5/17 The weather continues to be cold, 47-62 degrees, but now we have had rain for two days, 1.2" so far. This might extend the Morel season in this area. Between rain showers I checked two spots for mushrooms. In Oxford I checked the development of the Ganoderma tsugae and looked for other mushrooms. Found 2 different kinds growing in an area where someone sawed and chopped up an oak. In Whitinsville I found a clump of LBMs growing under white pine saplings. Pictures
5/18 The rainfall is up to 1.5" and more promised. There was a break in the rain so I hit a few spots in Sutton and Oxford. Found a few more Early Spring Entoloma. Got pictures of a couple young once. Also have found some more of the pinkish LBMs that I found yesterday in Whitinsville. They were growing in leaf litter so they are not Mycorrhizal. Pictures
I saw a bush which I have never seen before. It had these cone shaped things that looked like green berries all over the branches and leaves only at the tip of the branches. If anyone recognizes it please let me know. Picture
5/19 Reported of Yellow
Morels in Canton MA, with photographic evidence:
I found these in my backyard... think they are morels. I
live in Canton Mass. its been a rainy spring. these have been popping up near
the woods for a few years, but i only recently gave them a second thought. how
can I tell if they are edible
5/20 It is still raining on and off. We had 0.6" more of rain. The mushrooms must think they are in heaven! I went to Sawink Farm in Westboro today. Found Dryad's Saddle, Poplar Oysters, Platterful Mushroom and more of those yellowish toped LBMs. Pictures
5/21 Went to Oxford site and checked on the growth development of Ganoderma tsugae. Found what I suspect is Exidia glandulosa growing on an oak twig. Pictures
5/22 Went to a site in Whitinsville. Found some mushrooms growing next to and on top of a fallen rotten tree. Pictures
5/23 At Blackstone River Park parking lot in Whitinsville. Mushrooms growing on wood chips. The cap color was effected by recent rain. Spore print indicates a chocolate color. The gills are attached. Pictures
5/24 Driving by a medical building, in Shrewsbury, I saw some mushrooms growing in mulch. Checking them out I was surprised to see something that I never saw before, yet again. The large white, scaly mushroom looked like a lawn decoration. Pictures
5/28 We finally are having warm weather with temperatures up to 87. It has been 8 days since any rain and the mushrooms stopped popping up. A few days back I went to a Grafton site but found only a few Platterful Mushrooms. Went out to the site in Whitinsville that produces Boletes. None today. Now we have warm weather but we need the rain.
Word from Lenny Kaplan that he has found a couple of Bicolor Bolete in the Westfield area.
6/2 The previous day's tornado like weather brought only 0.4" of rain. Went to check the site in Whitinsville. Pictures
6/5 The weather continues cold and dry. This morning it got down to 44. I went to Northborough and Shrewsbury looking for mushrooms. All that I found is an Elegant Polypore on the same stick where I found it for the first time 3 years ago. Pictures
6/10 Finally the temperatures went up and some measurable rain came down in the form of a thunder shower. My gauge showed 0.7". One Fairy Ring Mushroom came back to life outside my apartment door. I checked a site in Whitinsville but saw only a few LBMs. Did not want to bother with them today. They are sure about showers tomorrow and rain on Sunday. That should make the mushrooms happy :o)
6/12 We got some good rain overnight for a total of 1.6" in the last 24 hours. There was a break in the rain so I checked a few spots. I saw a half a dozen Platterful Mushrooms. Then there were the interesting mushrooms that I found in Whitinsville. Two dead maple saplings had jelly fungi growing on them. They were next to each other. On one was a yellow jelly fungus while on the other it looked like two different kind of jelly fungus one was amber colored the other was black. I put them up for spore prints. Pictures
6/13 Went to Grafton to see if Bolete were up. Found only one old one that had a faded, cracked cap and was too far gone to ID. Also saw a few Platterful, tiny Russula and a couple of Grisette. On the way home I spotted something in a yard growing by a stump near the sidewalk. I went back and found something that looked like a midget's sombrero. Pictures
6/17 Things are slow. We got
0.35" of rain and the temperature is struggling to get into the 70's, today.
They are promising a bit more rain and temperatures in the high 70's starting
tomorrow. Things bound to get better. I hear that they are having
the same problems in PA and NJ.
I walked the yard/woods border today and found one spot where Painted Bolete was
cropping up in moss.
6/18 The promised rain did not come. It was hot and humid today. I went back to the stump where I found the large Pluteus on 6/13. There were many more mushrooms sprouting from the stump and some off the stump roots. The largest this time was 4.75" and the cap color was not washed out by rain. The spore print was pink as in the large one. The spore size was identical to that found in the large one. It looks like Steve Caruso of NJMA Yahoo group hit it on the nose. It is, and was, Pluteus cervinus, aka the Fawn Mushroom. It would be a good idea if the guide author's would state the largest cap which has been found for all specie of mushrooms. Lincoff gives 1.25-4.75" for P. cervinus. This implies that the largest cap possible is 4.74". The one that stumped me was 9.5". Pictures
6/23 Nearly an inch of rain in the past day. This morning it stopped raining but more is due this afternoon and evening. I went out to see what I could find while it was not raining. In Whitinsville I found some Bitter Bolete which actually were a bit bitter, two different kinds of Grisette.
While in Shrewsbury I found one Wine Cap Stropharia which did not have a wine cap and several different Amanita, one of which was the Yellow Blusher. Things are looking up for mushroom hunting in the next several days.
6/24 In the morning it was drizzling so I did a drive-by mushroom hunt. Saw quite a few Yellow Blusher Amanita and one Red Mouth Bolete. Yesterday I put down a cap for a spore print from what looked like a Bitter Bolete but it deposited a pink spore print. It was so dark that all pictures of that mushroom were blurry. This afternoon I went to the same spot and found about a dozen more. The light was better so I got some pictures and put the caps down for a spore print. Those should be ready tomorrow. I also found an unusual pink slime mold. Pictures
6/26 About 0.6" more rain last night, the kind that comes with light and sound show. This makes it over 2" in the last 3 days. I think the mushrooms must be in shock and are not aware of how much rain they have to work with. Yesterday I checked in the Purgatory Park and found a few small Russula, Yellow Amanita and a small Chicken of the Woods Cincinnatus. I read that Dave W has found quite a few King Bolete in Eastern PA. Today I went to Charlton where there is a spot that produces Kings. All I found was more of those Yellow Amanita and a few Golden Chanterelle. Things bound to get better.
6/27 It took only one day to get things better. Today I went to my primary King Bolete site and found my first two Kings of the season. Pictures
6/29 Went to Buffumville Lake in Charlton to the place that Jerry told me about in 2008 that had King Bolete. Saw a lot of Slippery Jack type mushrooms, a few Bitter Bolete, a couple of Birch Bolete and a lot of non photogenic Amanita.
6/30 Went to a large pine grove in Whitinsville. Saw many Slippery Jack type with most damaged by slugs. Next most common mushroom was the Painted Bolete. Even saw a small Raspberry Slime mold on a stump but the picture came out blurry. A few Bitter Bolete plus this dark capped, small bolete that might be Black Velvet Bolete.
7/1 Went to my primary King Bolete site and found 2 which were past prime, one was not even worth taking a picture off :o) Also found 2 small Birch Bolete. Also Painted Bolete and Slippery Jack type. It is getting dry and mushrooms are harder to find. Pictures
7/5 The weather continues to be hot and dry. Taking out trash I spotted a couple of interesting mushrooms growing on the lawn. Pictures
7/8 Checked out the yard while the rain stopped for a little while. Pictures
7/9 Finally got some measurable rain, about 1.5" in the last 24 hours. Went to my regular Northbridge spot and found many small orange colored Amanita, found my first Fly Agaric of the season and many Bitter Bolete. Pictures
7/10 Went to a pine grove at another location in Northbridge hoping to find some Kings. None. More Bitter Bolete, different Amanita, and a Velvet Footed Pax. The only thing worth photographing was a bolete that I found in the yard. Pictures
7/14 Went to my regular spot in Northbridge and found only a few Amanitas. Checked the yard around my apartment and found one older bolete. Pictures
7/21 The hot dry weather continues. I check the yard for mushrooms every so often. Yesterday I found two more of those boletes which I identified as Boletus auripes. Pictures
7/26 Last night we got about 1/3" of rain. I went out and checked the yard this morning. Found a couple of young Boletus auripes plus a couple of old once. Pictures
8/8 Finally got some measurable rain. A mushroom hunter in the Springfield MA area reports finding enough Bicolor Boletes to make a meal.
8/16 About 6 days ago we finally got some good rain for a 2" total. I went out about 2 days later but the mushrooms were nowhere to be found. Now we had 3 days straight of good rain that added up to 2.6" and the mushrooms are everywhere, though they were waterlogged. I found about a half dozen Parasol Mushrooms, a couple of Bicolor Bolete, a shelf mushroom growing on a Shagbark Hickory, and an unknown handsome mushroom growing by a stump. Pictures
8/23 The last couple of days the mushrooms popped up in the yard. Pictures
8/24 Went to a local site and was surprised find a lot of mushrooms. The few cool nights apparently triggered the fruiting of Suillus specie, mostly Dotted Stalk. There were also a lot of small bolete with reddish brown tops. Pictures
8/26 I checked the yard for mushrooms and found a few. Pictures
8/27 Today we are getting the showers ahead of Hurricane Irene which is supposed to arrive here early in the morning. At 5:00 pm these showed filled my rain gage to the 2.88" level. They are predicting about 3.5" tonight and tomorrow. A total of about 6" of rain should have the mushrooms popping up all over the place!
8/28 The storm is scheduled to go west of Springfield. Last night was quiet and peaceful. We got .9" more rain overnight. This morning we had heavy showers with an additional inch by 8 am. The rain was over about 3 pm. My gage showed that we got 6" from this storm.
8/29 Explored the hill beside my apartment. It is about 150 acres of land owned by someone but they do not mind that I forage there. Let us say that no one has yelled at me yet :o) I did not expect any new mushrooms from the 6 inches of rain but I was in the mood to explore. I found Corrugated Corts all over the place. A few Violet Corts. The Rosy Russula growing to a giant size. A few of the mushrooms were harvested and nibbled on by squirrels, probably. Then I found two mushrooms which also had rusty brown spores but looked different than the Corrugated Cort. Pictures
8/31 I have met a mushroom hunter who was born in Italy through my web site. He sent me pictures of a mushroom which he found in Millbury that I never saw before. Today I explored that site and I thought I found a young version of the same mushroom but this might be just gills attacked by another fungus. I am waiting for a spore print. The identification is still up in the air. Do you know what it is? Pictures
9/1 Went to a site near West River to check for Kings. Bitter Bolete were everywhere. A lot of small Amanita, Suillus, Russula and water. The site where I find kings was about 3 feet under water. The trail was blocked by standing water. I also checked Pine Grove Cemetery. They have many mature spruce there. Found only some large puffballs. They were about 3.5" in diameter. Probably the Purple-spored Puffball. Also stopped at a pine grove in Douglas State Forest. More Russula and Amanita, none worth taking a picture off.
9/2 Went to Northboro to check on a Black Birch from which I harvested a lot of Chaga over the years. I was hoping that the Irene winds might have blown it down and I could watch it produce a new fruiting body. It looks like they got much less rain and wind since the tree is still standing and alive. Found three mushrooms worth taking a picture of. Pictures
9/6 My new mushroom buddy, Fabrizio Bordo, was in Maine for a week. It sounded like a week long Foray to me :o) I got so interested in identifying his finds I got behind in my Mushroom Log. Though he has been in this country quite a few years he did not get into mushroom hunting until he contacted me through my web site. He was surprised to learn that we have Porcini growing in this area. When he found out he was determined to find one. On his Maine trip he found his first Porcini. He used his Blackberry to send me pictures of his Porcini suspects. After he found his first he wound up with about 50 by the end of his trip. He sent me a picture of a mushroom that he called "interesting". I too found it interesting but the pictures were not the best and it was hard to pin down the ID until he brought me the actual mushrooms. Pictures
9/10 Today I went out with Fabrizio Bordo to his Millbury site for our first foray together. We found quite a few button stage Honey Mushrooms, a few Lobster Mushrooms and he spotted a large patch of Black Trumpets. I found one kind of brown capped mushroom with chocolate brown gills that looked different. Pictures
9/11 Went to Pisgah to see if I could find another fruiting body of Inonotus obliquus. It is that time of the year when I found it the first time and after a good soaking rain like we had I thought that the conditions were right. Yesterday I went out with Fabrizio to his Millbury site and he wore me out :o) So before I got to the spot where there were some dead birch I turned around and headed home. I did pick up some Chaga from a Yellow Birch from which I harvested before. Also I found a large patch Black Trumpets and took enough for a meal. Pictures
9/13 Went to Pisgah again to check on dead birch for Inonotus obliquus fruiting body. I have not visited this location in two years. There was a dead black birch there that I was eying as a potential place where a fruiting body might appear. Sure enough it looks like it happened last year. Pictures
9/17 Went with Fabrizio to
Rutland to show him a stand of Yellow birch where quite a few Inonotus obliquus
infected trees grow. I showed him the trees from which I harvested Chaga
before and he found one or two that I missed when I was there a few years back.
I turned this site over to him. I am too old to travel that far for Chaga
:o) I would estimate that he harvested about 8 pounds of Chaga this day.
He also found quite a few Black Trumpets which his wife rates as choice and a
good sized Hen of the Woods. I took a few Aborted Entoloma (or is it
Aborted Honey Mushrooms?). There were quite a few Honey Mushrooms but they
were getting old and wormy. There were Russula everywhere. I have
never seen so many Russula as there was this year.
I think Fabrizio found the 25' high Chaga that I found the last time I was
there. It looked different. A few years ago it was cone shaped and
looked like it would weigh about 5 pounds. Now the cone is gone but new
Chaga grew in an approximate circle. Picture
9/21 Went to my Westboro primary Maitake spot to see if my champion Red Oak produced any fruiting bodies for me to harvest. Turned out that there were 13 of them. Most were still small. I picked 7 of the larger and left 6 to grow more. There are about a dozen more infected oak on this site but I saw no more Maitake on those that I checked. It looks like they are fruiting late this year. So long as there is no frost they might produce Maitake yet. Picture
Mushrooming Log 2010
Mushrooming Log 2009
Mushrooming Log 2008
Mushrooming Log 2007
Mushrooming Log 2006
Mushrooming Log 2005
Mushrooming Log
2004
