About 25 people choose to get outside and join us hunting for bargains mushrooms on Black Friday. The weather has been unseasonably warm and we were hoping to find a few gilled mushrooms as well as crusts and jellies. We were greeted with a small crop of Agaricus arvensis, Horse Mushrooms, growing in the grass right at the meeting point so it was looking good. Once we were in the forest we found an abundance of species from the very small to larger specimens. There were a number of seasonable edibles about too along with the poisonous Galerina marginata Deadly galerina.
Highlight of the day was the Chlorociboria aeruginascens (Blue-green Stain). We normally find the stained wood but today we found the fruiting body. The smallest identified species was Dacrymyces minor, tiny 1mm diameter yellow jelly drops on a rotten stick. This species has not been recorded by the club in the past.
We had quite a problem identifying an abundant purple/brown mushroom found by many members under Oak and Tulip Popular. In the field I though it might be a Cortinarius as the gills showed a hit of orange. I later decided I was being deceived and it might be a Laccaria. The spore print was white which was encouraging, but under the microscope the spores did not have spines. Then I thought about Hygrocybe and that is where I was stuck. I posted the images to Mushroom Observer and a another member, “jimmiev”, suggested a species name. The specimen matched the description, including the spores size and shape as well as the smell so the identification of Clitocybe cokeri was confirmed. This is the first time Clitocybe cokeri has been identified by the club and it is related to a number of cold weather mushrooms that can fruit late in the season after the frost and in the spring with the snow melt.
We found one non mushroom species of note, the Emerald ash borer Agrilus planipennis. Culprit in the death of millions of Ash trees in PA and other states, despite all the dead trees it is rarely seen.
There are nearly 60 species recorded here and among the unidentified we are still working on an unusual coral mushroom species. All in all quite a haul.
Species list entered by Richard Jacob. Identified by Adam Haritan, Jack Baker, John Plischke III and Richard Jacob.
List of species found on the walk at Black Friday walk at Hartwood Acres:
(Horse Mushroom), Agaricus arvensis
(Ringless Honey Mushroom), Armillaria tabescens
(Purple Jelly Drops), Ascocoryne sarcoides
(Yellow Fairy Cups), Bisporella citrina
(Dog Nose fungus), Camarops petersii
(Blue-green Stain), Chlorociboria aeruginascens
(), Clavariadelphus unicolor
(Crested Coral Fungus), Clavulina cristata
(), Clitocybe cokeri
(Blewit), Clitocybe nuda
(White-egg Bird’s-nest Fungus), Crucibulum laeve
(), Dacrymyces minor
(Carbon Balls), Daldinia concentrica
(Aborted Entoloma), Entoloma abortivum
(Velvet foot; Enokitake), Flammulina velutipes
(Scrambled-egg Slime; Dog Vomit Slime), Fuligo septica
(Deadly galerina), Galerina marginata
(Artist’s Conk), Ganoderma applanatum
(), Gloeoporus dichrous
(Oak-loving Collybia), Gymnopus dryophilus
(), Gymnopus semihirtipes
(Brick top), Hypholoma lateritium
(Elm Oyster), Hypsizygus ulmarius
(), Inonotus dryadeus
(Milk-white Toothed-Polypore), Irpex lacteus
(Resinous Polypore), Ischnoderma resinosum
(Carbon Cushion, Brittle Cinder), Kretzschmaria deusta
(Wolf’s Milk Slime), Lycogala epidendrum
(Gem-studded Puffball), Lycoperdon perlatum
(), Marasmius capillaris
(Walnut Mycena), Mycena luteopallens
(), Mycena semivestipes
(Hexagonal-pored Polypore), Neofavolus alveolaris
(Late Fall Oyster), Panellus serotinus
(Luminescent Panellus, bitter oyster), Panellus stipticus
(), Phanerochaete chrysorhiza
(), Phlebia incarnata
(), Phlebia tremellosa
(Oyster Mushroom), Pleurotus ostreatus
(Black-footed Polypore), Polyporus badius
(Dryad’s Saddle, Pheasant Polypore), Polyporus squamosus
(), Poronidulus conchifer
(Black Jelly Oyster), Resupinatus applicatus
(Split Gill), Schizophyllum commune
(Pigskin Poison Puffball), Scleroderma citrinum
(Reddish Eyelash Cup), Scutellinia scutellata
(Orange Eyelash Cup), Scutellinia subhirtella
(), Steccherinum ochraceum
(Crowded Parchment), Stereum complicatum
(False Turkey-tail), Stereum ostrea
(), Trametes elegans
(Turkey-tail), Trametes versicolor
(Yellow Witches’ Butter), Tremella lutescens
(Violet Toothed-Polypore), Trichaptum biforme
(White Cheese Polypore), Tyromyces chioneus
(Rooted Collybia), Xerula furfuracea
(Dead Man’s Fingers), Xylaria polymorpha
(Ceramic Parchment) Xylobolus frustulatus
Pictures by Adam Haritan and Richard Jacob.
Clitocybe cokeri — nice! Glad to have a name on that one.