WPMC Groundhogs day walk with James Tunney as walk leader.

Walk was lovely, the weather was a bit warmer and the sun was shining. Found a decent variety of mushrooms today! One of our member found a fossil as well. Unfortunately, another of our members got cursed after finding a stick figure in a tree, but hopefully it’s not a bad one!

Species identified by Cara Barkley Coulter and Jim Tunney. Species list entered by Jim Tunney.

List of species found on the walk at Bird Park:
Auricularia americana (Tree-ear / Wood Ear),
Cerioporus squamosus (Dryad’s Saddle, Pheasant Polypore),
Cerrena unicolor (Mossy Maze Polypore),
Dacryopinax elegans (),
Dacryopinax spathularia (Spathula Shapped Yellow Jelly),
Daedaleopsis confragosa (Thin-maze Flat Polypore),
Daldinia childiae (Carbon Balls),
Exidia crenata (Brown jelly roll),
Exidia glandulosa (Beech jelly roll),
Flammulina velutipes (Velvet foot; Enokitake),
Galerina marginata (Deadly galerina),
Ganoderma applanatum (Artist’s Conk),
Ganoderma lobatum (Soft artist’s conk),
Hypoxylon multiforme (),
Ischnoderma resinosum (Resinous Polypore),
Lenzites betulina (AKA Trametes betulina),
Lycogala epidendrum (Wolf’s Milk Slime),
Neofavolus alveolaris (Hexagonal-pored Polypore),
Panellus stipticus (Luminescent Panellus, bitter oyster),
Phellinus robiniae (Cracked cap polypore, Locust polypore),
Pleurotus ostreatus (Oyster Mushroom),
Polyporus brumalis (Winter polypore),
Punctularia strigoso-zonata (),
Pycnoporus cinnabarinus (Cinnabar Red Polypore),
Radulomyces copelandii (Asian beauty),
Sarcomyxa serotina (Late Fall Oyster),
Schizophyllum commune (Split Gill),
Stereum ostrea (False Turkey-tail),
Trametes gibbosa (Lumpy bracket),
Trametes versicolor (Turkey-tail)

Species not currently on clubs life list:
Phellinus
Antrodia
Mycena
Mycena

Photos by Cara Barkley Coulter

This states, Read this I am a watcher of the woods, if you remove me from my perch, on you I will cast a curse. If you wish to make amends, you must make and set up 3 friends, Until you do this pain and discontent are yours

Over 20 people joined us for a walk on Black Friday hunting for a different sort of bargain. This year the first of the non winter walks was held at Hartwood acres at the end of April. Eight months later we were back for the last of the formal walks for the year. There are plans to hold a winter walk once a month but exact dates depend on the weather forecast.

It was a cold start and didn’t warm up too much but that didn’t slow anyone down. Hartwood acres rarely disappoints and for this walk we found a number of uncommon species mixed in with all the normal fall mushrooms. Of particular interest were cup mushroom Ionomidotis irregularis. Club identifier Fluff Berger donated the voucher specimen that Michael Kuo used to document the species. One of my favorites is Multiclavula mucida, a club fungus that is symbiotic with a Coccomyxa sp. of algae and very similar to lichens. True lichens consist of fungi that have internalized algae. In this case the algae are growing externally to the fungi on the same rotten wood substrate. Another difference is that Multiclavula mucida is a basidiomycete while most fungi species associated with algae in lichen are ascomycete.

We also have a new to the club find, by eagle eyed Tristan Coulter, Melanophyllum haematospermum also know as the red gilled agaricus. It’s a very pretty mushroom with distinctive gill coloration. According to iNaturalist it has been found in western PA before but not may times and not by the club. The second new to the club find was Protocrea pallida a yellow mold that by all accounts only lives on Tyromyces chioneus.

After some microscope analysis we can add two more new to the club species. The very pretty eyelash cups are difficult to identify and most guide books list just one species, Scutellinia scutellata. It has become apparent that this species is not as abundant as once thought. Three eyelash cup populations were found on this walk. One could be identified with some confidence on site, Scutellinia setosa. After looking under the microscope at the other two Scutellinia pennsylvanica and Scutellinia olivascens were identified. Scutellinia pennsylvanica has been found by club members before but not formally collected on a club walk. Originally described from the Mon river valley but found all over the NE. Scutellinia olivascens was more unexpected although it has been observed by the New York Mycological Society members in that vicinity. We are now up to 6 different eyelash cup species in our region.

We also found some seasonal edible species and lots of deadly Galerina.

Species list entered by Richard Jacob. Species identified by Sarah Banach, Cara Coulter, Richard Jacob and John Plischke III.

List of species found on the walk at Black Friday walk at Hartwood acres:
Ascocoryne sarcoides (Purple Jelly Drops),
Bisporella citrina (Yellow fairy cups),
Cudoniella acicularis (),
Entoloma abortivum (Aborted Entoloma),
Daldinia childiae (Carbon balls),
Exidia crenata (Brown jelly roll),
Exidia glandulosa (Beech jelly roll),
Flammulina velutipes (Velvet foot; Enokitake),
Galerina marginata (Deadly galerina),
Ganoderma applanatum (Artist’s Conk),
Ganoderma lobatum (Soft Artist’s Conk),
Hymenochaete rubiginosa (),
Hypholoma lateritium (Brick top),
Inonotus dryadeus (Oak Bracket),
Ionomidotis irregularis (),
Ischnoderma resinosum (Resinous Polypore),
Laetiporus sulphureus (Chicken Mushroom; Sulphur Shelf),
Lepista nuda (Blewit),
Lycogala epidendrum (Wolf’s Milk Slime),
Lycoperdon perlatum (Gem-studded Puffball),
Lycoperdon pyriforme ( Pear-shaped Puffball ),
Multiclavula mucida (),
Mycena inclinata (Clustered bonnet / oak-stump bonnet cap),
Peniophora albobadia (Giraffe spot),
Phlebia incarnata (),
Phlebia tremellosa (),
Phyllotopsis nidulans (Mock Oyster),
Polyporus brumalis (Winter polypore),
Pycnoporus cinnabarinus (Cinnabar Red Polypore),
Sarcomyxa serotina (Late Fall Oyster),
Schizophyllum commune (Split Gill),
Scutellinia setosa (),
Stereum complicatum (Crowded Parchment),
Stereum ostrea (False Turkey-tail),
Trametes betulina (Multicolor Gill Polypore),
Trametes versicolor (Turkey-tail),
Trichaptum biforme (Violet Toothed-Polypore),
Tubaria furfuracea (Fringed Tubaria),
Xylobolus frustulatus (Ceramic Parchment)

Species not currently on clubs life list:
Melanophyllum haematospermum
Protocrea pallida (Tyromyces chioneus mold),
Scutellinia olivascens (),
Scutellinia olivascens (),
Psathyrella sp.
Mycena sp.

Pictures by Cara Coulter and Richard Jacob.

Species list entered by Jim Tunney.

List of species found on the walk at Mckinley Park:
Auricularia americana (Tree-ear / Wood Ear),
Holwaya mucida (),
Ischnoderma resinosum (Resinous Polypore),
Laetiporus sulphureus (Chicken Mushroom; Sulphur Shelf),
Peniophora albobadia (Giraffe spots),
Phellinus robiniae (Cracked cap polypore, Locust polypore),
Phlebia tremellosa (),
Pleurotus ostreatus (Oyster Mushroom),
Psathyrella hydrophila (),
Trametes gibbosa (Lumpy bracket),
Trametes versicolor (Turkey-tail),
Tyromyces chioneus (White Cheese Polypore),
Xylobolus frustulatus (Ceramic Parchment)

Species not currently on clubs life list:
Coprinellus probably C. radians
Inocybe
Mycena

Comments:

Species list entered by Jim Tunney.

List of species found on the walk at Brady Run park:
Armillaria gallica (Honey Mushroom),
Arrhenia epichysium (),
Bisporella citrina (Yellow Fairy Cups),
Clitocybe clavipes (Fat-footed Clitocybe),
Daedaleopsis confragosa (Thin-maze Flat Polypore),
Diatrype stigma (),
Gymnopilus luteus (),
Hypholoma fasciculare (),
Inonotus dryadeus (Oak Bracket),
Lepista nuda (),
Lycogala terrestre (),
Lycoperdon perlatum (Gem-studded Puffball),
Marasmius capillaris (),
Neofavolus alveolaris (Hexagonal-pored Polypore),
Ossicaulis lignatilis (),
Pachyella clypeata (),
Phlebia tremellosa (),
Phyllotopsis nidulans (Mock Oyster),
Piptoporus betulinus (Birch Polypore),
Pluteus cervinus (Deer mushroom),
Schizophyllum commune (Split Gill),
Scutellinia scutellata (Reddish Eyelash Cup),
Stropharia thrausta (),
Trametes betulina (),
Trametes elegans (),
Trametes versicolor (Turkey-tail),
Trichaptum biforme (Violet Toothed-Polypore),
Tyromyces chioneus (White Cheese Polypore),
Xerula furfuracea (Rooted Collybia),
Xylobolus frustulatus (Ceramic Parchment)

Species not currently on clubs life list:
Lactarius sp
Phellinus sp

The sun was out and it was a beautify warm autumn day, perfect for a walk in the woods. About 16  people took part looking for mushrooms in the mixed woods at the top of Murrysville Community Park. Despite the rain this last week larger terrestrial mushrooms were in short supply. The rain did bring out some jelly mushrooms and slime molds plus there were a number of small cup mushrooms found. Mushrooms of note were some older Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca (False Chanterelle). They had a soft felt like texture on the cap. There was also a pretty Lactarius vinaceorufescens (Yellow Latex Milky) whose latex turned yellow over 30 seconds or so from being cut.

The eyelash cup mushrooms are difficult to identify without using a microscope so I took the single specimen that was collected home and had a look at the spores. Our field identification was Scutellinia scutellata, the species that is in all the guide books. I put a cover slip over the mushroom and wrapped in in a damp paper towel and plastic wrap. This causes the mushroom to sporalate and hopefully most of the spores were caught on the cover slip. After a couple of hours I placed the cover slip, spore side down, on to a microscope slide and added some lactophenol blue stain. The lactophenol blue stain helps visualize the spore ornamentation. The hard work was rewarded and the species was identified as Scutellinia subhirtella based on the spore size and ornamentation, hair lengths and shape plus other characteristics. We don’t currently know how common Scutellinia subhirtella is compared to the more well know S. scutellata and S. setosa but it seems to fruit in the fall like S. setosa while S. scutellata can be found from spring to fall. There are more Scutellinia species in the area too, Scutellinia crinita was recently identified after a walk at Mingo Creek. It looks similar to S. scutellata with very long eyelash hairs but the spore ornamentation is different. Looking closely at Scutellinia specimens over the coming years will help us lean more about the different species and their fruiting times.

Species list entered by Richard Jacob.

List of species found on the walk at Murrysville Community Park:
Armillaria gallica (Honey Mushroom),
Armillaria mellea (Honey Mushroom),
Ascocoryne sarcoides (),
Auricularia angiospermarum (Tree-ear / Wood Ear),
Bisporella citrina (Yellow Fairy Cups),
Ceratiomyxa porioides (Honeycomb Coral Slime Mold ),
Coprinus lagopides (),
Daedaleopsis confragosa (Thin-maze Flat Polypore),
Entoloma abortivum (Aborted Entoloma),
Exidia crenata (Brown jelly roll),
Fuligo septica (Scrambled-egg Slime; Dog Vomit Slime),
Galerina marginata (Deadly galerina),
Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca (False Chanterelle),
Lactarius vinaceorufescens (Yellow Latex Milky),
Laetiporus sulphureus (Chicken Mushroom; Sulphur Shelf),
Lentinellus ursinus (Bear Lentinus),
Leocarpus fragilis (),
Lycogala epidendrum (Wolf’s Milk Slime),
Mycena crocea (Walnut Mycena),
Mycena inclinata (Clustered bonnet / oak-stump bonnet cap),
Neofavolus alveolaris (Hexagonal-pored Polypore),
Panellus stipticus (Luminescent Panellus, bitter oyster),
Pleurotus ostreatus (Oyster Mushroom),
Pleurotus pulmonarius (Summer Oyster),
Pluteus cervinus (Deer mushroom),
Polyporus badius (Black-footed Polypore),
Psathyrella candolleana (),
Scleroderma citrinum (Pigskin Poison Puffball),
Scutellinia subhirtella (),
Steccherinum ochraceum (),
Serpula lacrimans (Dry rot),
Stereum complicatum (Crowded Parchment),
Stereum ostrea (False Turkey-tail),
Trametes betulina (Multicolor Gill Polypore),
Trametes elegans (),
Trametes versicolor (Turkey-tail),
Trichaptum biforme (Violet Toothed-Polypore),
Tyromyces chioneus (White Cheese Polypore),
Xylobolus frustulatus (Ceramic Parchment)

Species not currently on clubs life list:
Russula sp.