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Seen any yet?

It seems too early still...

 

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Last year was pitiful here too, too dry. I didn't find more than two or three tiny ones in spots where there are usually tons. Hopefully they catch up this year!

 

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I'm with you KC! That seems to be the case with morels this year, so other shrooms should be plentiful! Last summer was practically fungus-free around here! I found a few purple russulas a few days ago, so they're all definitely eager to pop out

 

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KC -

So, blooming butterfly weed is a sign the chanterelles are up? Do you know any other of nature's signals for summer shrooms?

Should be any day now! It's been wetter than it has been for a while here. Warmer temps coming soon should make 'em pop!

 

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I'm with you KC - so no bet

I noticed the low-dewberries are about to be ready for picking, so summer is just about here!

I have found a few huge green-spored lepiotas (is that the green gill you speak of, KC?) but they were all shredded up by turtles! I thought it was squirrels at first until I found a box turtle happily munching away in the middle of some shredded shroom debris.

msquared - Congrats on your Georgia find! Was May 30 the first poundage last year in Georgia, or are you a Missourian? I know last year was early for plants and fungus alike, I think this year has been more typical, if not a tad late.

I wonder why there are no oysters in my neck of the woods! ;(

 

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HAHA.... Thanks for the latin name, KC

I'm going to check a raspberry patch near my house today to see of they are close. The chants are definitely close! Your last couple of sentences sound like all us shroom hunters when we're trying to figure out if it's time yet!

Msquared - Thanks for the tip! Let us know when those chants are poppin' in your 'hood!

 

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Veronica - Have you eaten any russulas? I know most of them are edible, but are they EATable?

You're right about the moisture. This is no time for the rain to stop!

 

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Veronica - Thanks for the Russula info! I've found a couple green-cracked ones and they're in the fridge awaiting more finds. I found a large patch of red chanties, but they're all incredibly tiny! Has anyone ever found some big enough to eat? I'm sure the smooths are going to be out any day (maybe today with the cool rain last night - haven't went outside yet). Dark star, you're in my immediate area and you found some babies, so they're on the way! I found some tiny gem-studded puffballstoo, so they will flush really soon also. I like them! I also found a nice,big fish milky yesterday, but it was a little damaged and too buggy. Man those things just POUR out the "milk"! My kids were wowed!

Happy hunting everyone! The variety and amounts this year are going to be the stuff of story telling legend....

 

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Thanks for the pics and update KC!

I have spotted some cool fungus the past few days. More fish milkies and a HUGE Agaricus, some green-cracked russulas, and also a really bizarre puffball-type shroom in my hastas! What's the simplest way to post pics here? Photobucket?

 

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I thought I'd post a few picks of some interesting recent finds. Enjoy!

Here's a magnificent huge Agaricus button. It looked like a puffball baby, but it spread out and had gills! It was impeded by rocks and grass, so it grew weird and didn't reach its full potential size.



Here's a nice pair of Russula cyanoxantha. I have been finding several of these around my place, but they are always wormy even when I find them at 6 AM and they weren't there the evening before! I'll taste some eventually I suppose!



I have found a few nice Russula virescens buttons, but not enough to make a meal.



Here are the tiny red Chanterelles I mentioned before. They have grown a little since this pic, but not much! Has anyone ever eaten these? Do they get bigger?



This freaky fungus came out one day in my hastas! I brought in mulch from outside my land (I usually don't) last year, and I guess there were spores in it! Does anyone know what this is? It dried out by the next day. It looks like a weird cake or something! The red dot was sticky and looked like jelly filling oozing out!

 

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Amazing! The one I found is so petite and symmetrical compared to photos I'm finding, but that's definitely it! It looks like a little pastry or something! The common name is "dog-vomit slime mold" . Yum!!

Nice ID, Veronica!

If I can round up enough, I'll try the tiny chants soon!

 

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Pedro - Thanks for that link. Kuo is cool, I always enjoy his take on mushrooms.

Veronica - After studying a bit, I have seen the vomit mold before, but the shape of the one I found along with the red goo-stuff made it look quite unique! Thanks for the link above - those are some incredible pics! I love taking shots of tiny little creatures or parts of plants or fungi! The world of the slime mold is incredible!

 

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First find for this year! These were near a small pond under a big oak at a friend's house yesterday. They were bug eaten and dried out from the hot sun, but good sized. I told him to keep an eye on that spot for me




I also found a new-to-me bolete, the Black Velvet Bolete, Tylopilus alboater. It is delicious raw, so I can't wait to taste it cooked! I thought it was going to be putrid for sure with the black staining action, but definitely not! I peeled the pores off in the field, so they're gone in the photo.

 

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Alright, KC!!

We had almost three inches of rain night before last, so they should be popping up today or very soon!

The "babies" I found about a week ago never grew any larger, they are now shriveled and dried! I thought chanties grew a bit every day, as morels are supposed to? Also, tiny red chants I've been watching never grew either!

I found two milkies yesterday that keyed out as voluminous latex milkies, but they didn't smell like fish ever, and the latex didn't stain at all, much less brown! Has anyone found these before?

I had another big agaricus come up in my yard and this time I got to eat it (with a few scrambled eggs).It was amazing! I've never been interested in the agaricus clan due to the boring bisporus in stores, but this tasted WAY better! I hope more pop up

Keep posting pics, everyone! They're great!

 

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KC - That's definitely the one I found! I used Mushrooms Demystified to key it out, and I came up with the same species you show there. The brown staining and fishy smell is weird, but I've always heard the fishies were delish, so I'm glad to have found a milky that is almost identical but without those two features!

I'm glad we're keeping this thread so informative even though morel season is long gone.

 

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Nice haul, Mitch!!

I better get out and look harder!

 

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Nice KC!!

I have yet to try the Old Man. Do you remove the pores or leave them? That looks like it made for a delicious lunch! All those mycophobes out there don't know what they're missing.

I'm going to try and get in the woods today, hopefully it will be productive.

 

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Nice sarah! It's a whole different ballgame chanterelle hunting, eh? I hope that squishy stem syndrome stays out of my patches! I've got buttons galore coming up, I hope they'll mature safely and end up in my pan! I found a few at a friend's house recently which were dried out and even buggy, which I haven't witnessed with chants very much. The ones I have around my place are Smooth Chanterelles so there are no gills to hide in, maybe that's why they are usually bug-free? A pound is a good find. Were they growing in moss? Almost every patch I've ever found was ion or near a nice soft moss patch. What does your BF think of chants vs. morels flavor-wise? Just curious. And I think you said you're not a mushroom eater, but try to give each new species a taste - you'll be impressed at the huge variance in flavor, I think!

Good luck, all, and do a rain dance!

 

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ShroominSara - It really needs to rain here as well!! It seems to have dried up right when rain was needed the most! Most of my decent-sized chanterelle spots had tons of little buttons, but then the rain went away and now a lot of them have dried up! It's a real bummer, but I know there's plenty of water on the way, right?

 

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After a dry month or so, we are finally getting some rain! I found a HUGE Amanita virosa yesterday, and also a few big lycoperdon puffballs. I hope a few more spring out today! Has anyone here eaten them before? I sauteed a small amount a few years back and they were like eating sliced marshmallows that tasted like mushrooms! I hope to gather a few more so I can try breading and frying, which is how they are supposedly supposed to be cooked. I'll post pics later just because there have been so few fungal fruitings lately The chanterelles in my patches keep popping out and drying up and turning black before they get big enough to harvest! I like Scott's optimism though, and I hope these recent storms will be enough for a decent flush.

Good luck all!