Blue Ridge Discovery Center’s Fall Mushroom Walk
Twelve curious hikers joined Ken Crouse for his second annual BRDC mushroom walk on Saturday, September 19th. We met at Cox’s Chapel Low Water Bridge at 10am for a brief introductory show-and- tell prior to carpooling to a location across the river and into the woods.
Twelve curious hikers joined Ken Crouse for his second annual BRDC mushroom walk on Saturday, September 19th. We met at Cox’s Chapel Low Water Bridge at 10am for a brief introductory show-and- tell prior to carpooling to a location across the river and into the woods.
It was a ‘beautiful’ morning, crisp and clear, but also very dry following a week of bright, sunny days and low humidity...not the best of conditions for a mushroom foray. However, cool nights and mornings also trigger the fruiting of many fungi, so we had at least one thing in our favor.
Ken took us into damp areas, which proved to be productive enough to keep us busy identifying and comparing a wide variety of mushroom species. It is the purpose of most mushroom hunters to harvest for the kitchen table. Ken focused on offering descriptions of what to look for in great detail, how to sort through similar looking species from safe to deadly. The general morphology of a mushroom is an indicator, but the base of the stem and ‘root’ structure, careful inspection of the underside of the cap, and spore prints all add up to the level of confirmation needed to be certain of identification. Other clues include gill structure and attachment, smell, bruising color, and habitat. In fact, Ken said he usually employs seven systematic taxonomic features to assure a firm ID, and has not once in his long mushroom hunting life experienced any gastronomical discomfort from eating fungi. There are several spore dispersal systems besides gills, and serve to link specimens to family...such as the boletes which have fleshy tubes or pores, or the tooth fungi in the Hydnaceae family, puffballs which form spores inside, and club and coral fungi, which disperse spores from a fertile outer surface.
After collecting a number of specimens, we drove to a local picnic area where, and while taking lunch, Ken spread out field guides and our collection for a more thorough discussion on identification.
Following is a full species list from our day in the woods:
BRDC 9/19/15 Mushroom Walk, River Ridge Farm
Austroboletus gracilis – Graceful Bolete
Tylopilus plumboviolaceous – Lilac-brown Bolete
Suillus granulatus – Granular-stalked Bolete
Polyporus badius – Black-footed Polypore
Stereum ostrya – False Turkey Tail
Stereum complicatum – Bracket Mushroom
Trametes versicolor – Turkey Tail
Oxyporous populinus – White Polypore
Tyromeces chioneus – Cheese Polypore
Phellinus rimosus – Cracked Cap Polypore
Daldinia concentrica – Carbon Ball
Chlorocibora aeruginescens – Green-wood Stain
Lycoperdon perlatum – Gem-studded Puffball
Lycoperdon pyriforme – Pear-shaped Puffball
Schleroderma citrinum – Poison Pigskin Puffball
Scuttelaria scuttelina – Eyelash Cup
Hygrophorous praetensis – Waxy Cap
Clitocybe dilitata – White Clitocybe
Russula variata – Variable Russula
Marasmius sicca – Orange Pinwheel
Marasmius rotula – White Pinwheel
Crepidotus mollis – Jelly Crepe
Mycena pura –yellow Mycena
Mycena luteopallens – Walnut Mycena
Panellus stipticus – Luminescent Panellus
Collybia confluens – Tufted Collybia
Ramaria conjunctipes – Violet Coral
Usnea sp. – Tree Beard Lichen (Medicinal)
For a brief review of fungi see: http://eol.org/pages/5559/overview
Scott Jackson-Ricketts
Ken Crouse
Mushroom Walk at River Ridge Farm
Last Saturday's mushroom walk at River Ridge Farm was a great success! The weather was just perfect we had at least 16 participants. There was a lot of interest and excitement and the fungi were out in force. With the time we had; it was not possible to prepare a comprehensive species list. However, just in a quick run through I was able to ID 56 species from the walk. Not bad for a morning stroll through the forest!
Last Saturday's mushroom walk at River Ridge Farm was a great success! The weather was just perfect we had at least 16 participants. There was a lot of interest and excitement and the fungi were out in force. With the time we had; it was not possible to prepare a comprehensive species list. However, just in a quick run through I was able to ID 56 species from the walk. Not bad for a morning stroll through the forest!
Photo Credit: Joan Sunday
We started out the day, while everyone was arriving, by reviewing a selection of several species that I had previously collected and brought for demonstration. This gave everyone a chance to meet one another and familiarize themselves with a bit of the language of mycology. This turned out to be very helpful once we started collecting during our walk. There was at least some familiarity with how to look at fungi and some of the terminology.
Here are a few highlights and notable finds: We did come across 3 different species of Amanitas, which made it possible to familiarize everyone with the characteristics the make up this genus.This is very important since some species of amanitas can be deadly poisonous!
We ran across a dozen species of Boletes; including the beautiful "Two Colored Bolete" B. bicolor and the blue staining Gyroporus cyanescens which stains dark blue immediately when it is handled.
There were 3 species of the highly sought after chanterelles; ie, the "Cinnabar Chanterelle"Cantherellus cinnabarinus, the "Horn of Plenty"Craterellus cornucopoides, and the "Golden Chanterelle"C. cibarius.
Other notable finds among the gilled mushrooms were many species of Russulas of many colors and Lactarius species that exude a type of "milk"when injured. There were several species of the colorful Entolomas, including the "Yellow Unicorn"E. murrayii and the "Salmon Witch's Hat"E salmoneum. We looked at many types of Polypores or "shelf fungi" such as the medicinal "Turkey Tails"Trametes versicolor and the "Cinnamon Polypore"Coltricia cinnamomea. An exciting find; growing from the base of a dead tree was Meripilus gigantea, which can grow to the size of several pounds. Higher up on the same tree were 2 specimens of the "Bearded Tooth"Hericium erinaeus, another highly regarded edible. Unfortunately,all we could do was look at them since they were way out of reach.
We were able to compare the edible and common "Gem-studded Puffball"Lycoperdon perlatum with the "Poison Pigskin" Puffball Schleroderma citrinum. Also, there were several different colorful species of the coral mushrooms including the "Golden Tuning Fork"Clavulinopsis fusiformis. One of the most exciting finds for me was a species of "Cup Fungus"called "Moose Antlers"or Wynnea americana. This is a very unusual looking fungus and fairly rare in our area.
We ended the day by going over to the picnic area and displaying our finds and having a discussion of each type; including toxicity/edibility, etc followed by a great picnic lunch and more mushroom talk. I believe a good time was had by all and a lot was learned and shared. There were several requests for a repeat sometime in the future.
- Ken Crouse
Mushroom Species List
River Ridge Farm
9/20/2014
Gilled mushrooms:
Amanita vaginata – Grisette
A. flavaconia – Yellow Patches
A. ceceliae
Russula virescens – Green Russula
R. variata – Variable Russula
R. compacta – Firm Russula
R. rosacea – Rosy Russula
R. aeruginea – Green Quilt Russula
R. brevipes – Shortstalked White Russula
Lactarius croceus
L. peckii – Peck's Milky
L. rufus – Redhot Milky
L. torminosus – Pinkfringed Milky
L. subpurpurea – Variegated Milky
Tricholoma sp.
Gymnopus dryophila – Oak Loving Collybia
Clitocybe clavipes – Clubshaped Clitocybe
Clitocybe gibba – Funnel Clitocybe
Hygrophoropsis aurantiacaFalse Chanterelle
Hygrocybe coccinea Red Waxycap
Cantharellus cinnibarenis—Cinnabar Chanterelle
Cantharellus tubaeformis –Trumpet Chanterelle
Cantharellus cibarius Golden Chanterelle
Craterellus cornucopioides – Horn of Plenty
Nolanea murrayii – Yellow Unicorn
Nolanea salmoneum Salmon Unicorn
Marasmius siccus – Orange Pinwheel
Marasmius rotula – Pinwheel Marasmius
Marasmius nigripes Black Foot
Poroid Fungi:
Boletus bicolor – Twocolored Bolete
B. subvelutipes – Redmouthed Bolete
B. chrysenteron – Cracked Cap Bolete
B. ornatipes – Ornatestalked Bolete
B. griseus
B. subglapripes
Gyroporous cyanescens Bluing Bolete
Leccinus scabrum – Scaber Stalk
Suillus granulatus – Granularstalked Suillus
Strobilomyces floccopus – Old Man of the Woods
Tylopilus felleus – Bitter Bolete
T. plumboviolaceus Lilacbrown Bolete
Polypores/Shelf Fungi
Meripilus gigantea – Blackstaining Polypore
Hericium erineus – Bearded Tooth
Trametes versicolor Turkeytails
Stereum ostrya – False Turkeytails
Polyporus badius – Blackfooted Polypore
Coltricia cinnamomea—Shiny Cinnamon Polypore
Puffballs'Earthballs:
Lycoperdon perlatum – Gemstudded Puffball
Schleroderma citrinum – Poison Pigskin Puffball
Coral/Club Fungi:
Clavaridelphus truncaFlattopped Coral
Cordyceps militaris Trooping Cordyceps
Clavulinopsis fusiformis Spindleshaped Yellow Coral
Tremellodendron pallidum White Jellycoral
Ramariopsis kunzeii – White Coral
Cup Fungi:
Wynnea americana Moose Antlers
Peziza badioconfusa –Common Brown Cup
Peziza repanda – Recurved Cup
Parasitic Molds:
Hypmyces hyalinus – Amanita Mold
Hypomyces chrysospermus White Bolete Mold
GCHS ECO Club River Ridge Farm Outing
This Wednesday, the 25th of May, four members of the GCHS ECO club and many other folks headed out to River Ridge Farm to expand our slim, adolescent knowledge. On arriving, we encountered Scott Jackson-Ricketts. The birds in the general radius had accumulated to his presence; Barn Swallows darted through the air, chasing each other playfully, and sitting in a nearby tree an Orchard Oriole sang. After regrouping and introducing ourselves to some new faces, we headed down the main entrance of the farm to meet up with the farmers, our guides. Brantley Ivey, farm manager of River Ridge Cattle Company, explained the conservation aspects of River Ridge, and ways they were working to improve environment conditions on the farm, but still produce competitively.
Soon after, we drove out into the farm, all of us either riding in a "super duty" truck, or in a camouflaged ATV. Our guides, the farmers, showed us the farm and explained its approaches in even more depth. Brantley Ivey, farm manager, and Gary Mitchell from Grayson Natural Foods, helped answer any and all of our questions. Later, we drove to higher points of the land, where there was a view of the river in either direction, and the highest peak in Virginia (Mount Rogers) in a tranquil shade of blue imprinted on the horizon. Looking around us, it was very obvious why someone would want to put all the work into preserving the landscape of this area.
Nearing the end of our outing, we visited the three archaic log cabins in the valley below the ridge with the breath-taking view. Any further questions we had were answered there in the shade, and we rapped everything up with a group picture of one of the cabin's porches. I feel like, myself, all of the members of the ECO club, and anyone who attended, learned a great deal about agriculture and conservation. I also have embraced a stronger, rejuvenated appreciation for our local world. Personally, I can't wait for our next trip.