Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Mushroom Madness

I think these may be poisonous, but it could be another two species that are very tasty. I really need to remember to take wet wipes or gloves with me because I haven't been picking things for fear of walking around for another hour before I get home with poisonous somethings on my hands.
That may sound mega-paranoid, but there are plants out there that are super-deadly-poisonous that you don't want to mess with. That's why it's so important to identify your surroundings and know what's safe. I've come to the conclusion that I'll pick most things, but mushrooms are not only hard to identify but are frequently poisonous.
Mushroom hunting is a hobby that requires lots of studying, asking for help, and caution. The only reason I'm attempting here is because I literally saw nearly a thousand of these mushrooms on a mere 45 minute walk. The biggest things I did wrong in trying to identify was 1) not kicking it over to check the gills and stem and 2) not squishing it to see how it bruised.
Looking at the top it reminds me of popcorn with the little pieces of shell clinging to the puffed white exterior. They were all between 3-6 inches in diameter with short stems and they did not grow in fairy rings. Those last two things make it unlikely to be the poisonous type that looks like this as they have long stems and grow in fairy rings. I still wouldn't eat them though, partially because by the time I found that out they were all long dead.
Since they were all over the place I'm hoping the next rain brings them out again so I can identify them better.

It could be a False Parasol (the poisonous one) or chlorophyllum molybdites, but it could possibly be a Shaggy Parasol chlorophyllum rhacodes or brunneum or the Parasol Mushroom macrolepiota procera. The sad thing, I probably would have been able to almost give a positive identification had I checked the gills and spore print. The poisonous one has green spores and slightly green gills and the edible mushrooms are white.

Just remember, not all fairy ring mushrooms are edible. I used to think they were, but they aren't.

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