Mushroom Log
2009

1/1  Happy mushroom hunting New Year!
4/23 Almost four months have gone by with no thaw to entice some mushrooms to fruit.  Last couple of days we got about 1.25" of rain and the weatherman is promising temperatures in the 70's and 80's this weekend.  Time to start looking for mushrooms in general and Morel in particular.  Yesterday I stepped into the backyard woods and found a twig, about  3/8 of inch in diameter, with a white fuzzy polypore.  It was alive and this morning there was a deposit of spores on the slide. 

5/2  Went out and checked a few old apple trees for morel, in eastern MA.  Found 2.  Also found a slimy looking fungus on brush stumps where the brush was cut down recently.  If you recognize it let me know?  Here are the pictures.

5/3  Went to the first Berkshire Mycological Society's foray at Gould Meadow in Stockbridge MA.  As usual I got there early and checked out the the cemetery at the church on the top of the hill, in Lenox.  This cemetery borders Kennedy Park and I have found Morel growing there right on the grass.  None this year, yet.  Then I went to the conservation land opposite of Olivia's Overlook.  Did not find any Morel there either but did find some Chaga.  Got to Gould Meadow about 9:30am but none of the BMS members were there.  I looked across the road and found one large Beech tree with some black stuff on it.  It turned out to be a burl with some stuff (fungus?) on it.  At 9:45am none of the BMS members showed up so I decided to go look for the Scarlet Cup on my own.  That is the main reason I went to the first foray.  Did not find it.  When I returned to the parking lot about 10:30am the group was about to start out on their foray.  I told them I was after a scarlet cup so that I could study the spores under a microscope and confirm that the cup that grows in our area is not the one described in most guides.  I was too tired to go on yet another walk.  I waited for them to return.  Soon another foray member showed up.  He was Lenny the Russian.  We spent the time on mushroom talk until the foray returned.  They did not find any Morel.  This is par for the course for the first foray, but they found quite a few Scarlet cups and they gave me 3 to study.  I brought the two Apple Orchard Morel and and the Inonotus obliquus fruiting body to show the group.  They had a stereo microscope with them so they got a good look at the pores of the fruiting body.  Here are the pictures.

5/6  Went to Westboro to check on old apple trees.  Did not find any Mica Caps or Morel but did find one cup fungi, Pig's Ears.

5/11  Went to Grafton and checked for Brown Cups.  Found only some Dryad's Saddles and one fresh Artist's Polypore.

5/12  Went back to Acton, found only one lonely Morel.  May Apples are in bloom.  Looks like a bad year for Morel this year.  It is raining every other day but not amounting too much.

5/15  Today I received 8 articles on medicinal mushroom from a visitor to my web site.  His name is Guillaume Ayotte-Côté.  For those who like to see scientific support for the claims of mushroom enthusiasts, here it is.  Two of the articles have to do with Fuscoporia obliqua, which turns out to be another name for Inonotus obliquus.

5/19  Things are slow mushroom wise.  We need a good rain storm.  I went to Westboro to the apple stump that produces giant Morel each spring.  Found 2.  One was almost completely eaten by slugs and other mushroom lovers.  The other stood 8" high and was still pretty much in one piece.  The cap was dry and the ridges were missing, for the most part, but it was still impressive.  Pictures

5/23  Still dry, so I went to a sphagnum bog to see if anything is growing there.  Found one Hemlock snag with a few Ganoderma tsugae buds.  Also found Swamp Beacon.  A first for me.  Pictures.

5/26  Still dry.  Went to my Grafton site where I find early Boletes.  I would have been glad to find even some LBMs :o)  Nothing.  I did find a Black Birch which had Canker on it that beginners mistake for Chaga.  I suspect it is a Nectria of some kind.  I am writing the US Forest Service to see if they can tell me what it is.  Pictures.

6/10  The lawn is turning brown but several Yellow Blusher Amanita popped out on the lawn where I live.  One tore up its cap in pushing through the dry soil. No measurable rain yet.

6/12 Last night we finally got some appreciable rain, about 3/4".

6/13 Checked the Yellow Blushers and found that the largest tripled in size with the help of the rain.  Pictures.

6/14  Last night we got another 3/4" of rain.  Went to Grafton to check the Bolete spot.  Nothing, not even LBMs.  In the evening I checked a pile of oak leaves and found this group of mushrooms that I believe are a Collybia of some kind.

6/15  Went to Northbridge to look for Boletes.  Found none.  I found this group of LBMs growing on a lawn near white pine.  Also found the colorful Raspberry Slime.

6/19  Yesterday and last night we got .9" more rain.  More is promised.

6/20 Went to Northbridge and Grafton to look for Bolete.  Checked the mushrooms that I identified as the possible Ferry Ring Mushroom and Darvin confirmed.  They have now multiplied and formed a half ring.  Found another grouping that looked a bit different.  Will compare spore prints and spores.  The first Bolete I found was a Summer King though it was too old for human consumption.  Also found a Tawny Grisette, Birch Bolete, Collybia Jelly, Collybia, Laccaria, and Red Cracked Bolete?  Pictures

6/22  It continues to rain each day.  Most of the time it is only a light mist but occasionally there is heavier rain.  In the past 24 hours my rain gauge reported .42" of rain.  That makes over 2" of rain in the past 10 days or so.  I did a bit of drive-by mushrooming today.  Saw more Meadow Mushrooms and Pluteus coming up on the lawn on Maple street.  On the lawn next to the Shrewsbury Police station is a nice patch of Blusher in all stages of growth.  The mushrooms are responding to the rain.  It is supposed to rain today and tomorrow then we have a day off.  After that they are predicting thundershowers for several days.  Mushrooms, mushrooms everywhere....

6/23  More rain, about .25".  Went to Northbridge again.  Found another King.  This one was fit for human consumption.  Also found 3 Birch bolete.  Russula are starting to appear.  Pictures

6/24  About .2" more of rain.  Checked local spots in Shrewsbury.  Nothing new.

6/25  Went to Northbridge and Grafton.  In Northbridge the Fairy Ring Mushrooms were mowed down.  No new boletes.  The only thing unusual was some dog scat that was taken over by a fuzzy fungus so that it actually looked attractive :o)  In Grafton I found the first Chrome Footed Bolete and Bicolor Bolete.  Also found that mushroom that reminds me of an Inky but I have not been able to ID.  Also a delicate looking mushroom about 1.25" in diameter.  Pictures

6/26  Checked Westboro spots.  Nothing but an Elegant Polypore sprouting on the same stick that it fruited on last year.  I am surprised to see so few new mushrooms considering we had so much rain lately.

6/27  Went to Rutland where I usually find Bicolor Bolete.  All I found were a few scraggly Russula and one Corrugated Cort. 

6/28  Yesterday evening a thunderstorm went through and deposited an additional .7" of rain.  Went to check by the Jordan Pond.  The only mushrooms were quite a large area covered with a diminutive white coral.

6/29  Additional .32" of rain overnight.  Checked around the yard.  Found a pale yellow jelly fungus and a light brown mushroom growing on twigs.  Went to Oxford.  Nothing.  On the way I stopped by the neighbor who usually has the best yard of mushrooms.  Up to this point he had only a few dozen rosy Russula.  Today a stump was sprouting Black Staining Polypore, Red Mouth Bolete scattered about, and a Boletus variipes under attack by mold.  Pictures

6/30  Northbridge.  First found an old rotten Summer King.  Then found a young Summer King.  That makes 4 for the season so far.  Also found Dotted Stalk Suillus, Painted Bolete, and 2 fresh Birch Bolete.  Slime #1 which I never saw before.  In Grafton  found quite a few Bicolor Boletes, a couple of Chrome Footed Bolete, Xanthoconium affine, slime #2 and slime #3.  In the back yard, found a pale capped Scaber Stalk and a red pored bolete.  Pictures

7/1  The month is starting right with .47" more rain!  Checked the yard.  Found several Boletus variipes under an oak.  The largest had a 5" cap with a 3" stalk.  The pores appeared to plugged up.  Pictures

7/2  During the last 24 hours we got 2.5" more rain.

7/3  Went to Northbridge.  Found 10 Summer Kings where 7 were usable.  Also found many painted Boletes and some Birch Bolete.  Pictures

7/6  Went back to Northbridge site.  Found 12 more Summer Kings where only 5 were usable.  Most were damaged by worms.  The excess rain we had lately made it easier for the worms.  The good once had a cap of 2" or less.  Got in contact with Arkadiy Pitman.  He still has not find a King this season but expects them within 2 or 3 days.  He confirms that Oak King is a good common name for Boletus variipes.  That is what it is called in Russia.  Pictures

7/7  2" more of rain.  Went to Charlton part of Lake Buffumville to check on another King hotspot.  None found.  Found a handful of Chanterelle.

7/9 Went back to Northbridge site.  Found 7 more Summer Kings where only 1 was usable.   Also found 5 large birch boletes in excellent condition.

7/11  Went to Boylston to check under pine and spruce.  Absolutely nothing.  I am surprised as to how few different mushrooms are coming up after all this rain.  Apparently they want something else beside rain.

7/12  .9" more rain.  In Northbridge found 10 summer Kings and one Birch Bolete.  Only 3 Kings were worm free.   In the afternoon I went to Paxton.  Again, no new mushrooms coming up!

7/15  Went  back to Northbridge.  Found only 5 Summer Kings and only one was worm free.  Also found a couple of Birch Bolete in the button stage. 

7/18  1.50" more rain.  Back to Northbridge.  Found 9 more Summer Kings.  Also Amanita, Russula, Xanthoconium, and Suillus.

7/19  .9" more rain.

7/24 2.35" more rain.  That is 10.62" for the month of July, so far. Went to Northbridge.  Quite a good variety of mushrooms.  Found 7 more Summer Bolete with 2 usable.

7/26  Went to Northboro to check on the Smooth Chanterelle patch.  No sign of them yet.  Very little sign of any other mushrooms.

7/28  Finally the Summer King season in Northbridge has ended.  I found only one rotten King.  There are very few other mushrooms around.  Looks like we have to wait for the fall and see if it will be any better.

7/30  .4 " of rain.  Found a handful of Bicolor Bolete type mushroom that I picked last year but could not identify.  Brown cap with yellow stem which turns blue easily.  Growing on a lawn under an oak.  Tasted good.

7/31  1.4" more of rain.  A total of 12.42" for the month of July!

8/23  So far only only 1.9" of rain, in August, according to my rain gage.  It has been hot and humid for quite a while.  Did not go out much.  Air conditioned apartment is the place to be.  September 1 is fast approaching and then then maybe Hen of the Woods and another Inonotus obliquus fruiting body?

9/22  Things continue to be slow.  The weather is cold and dry.  Hen of the Woods is not showing up at all.  In Northborough I did find a couple of interesting mushrooms growing in needles under Balsam Fir.  One might be the Prince, which usually grows out West.  The second might be Sweetbread though it does not have that distinctive odor.  The dry weather might kill the normal odor.  Pictures.

10/5  I finally found some Hen of the Woods under the most productive oak I know.  It yielded 6 Hen from softball size up to about 5 pounder.  Overall this was a season to forget except for the Summer Kings that sprouted early in the season.  Thanks to Microsoft and Windows 7 I managed to stay out of trouble by upgrading my 5 computers and learning about the new OS.  Looking forward to the 2010 season!

Mushrooming Log 2008
Mushrooming Log 2007
Mushrooming Log 2006
Mushrooming Log 2005
Mushrooming Log 2004