A cool day at North Park with a big turn out of mushroom hunters. Some mushroom hunters from the Gray Wolf Gallery brought a number of large Hen of the woods/sheepshead mushrooms (Grifola frondosa) to show us all what we were looking for. At 10 am the crowd split up and went hunting. Quite a few people found edible species in abundance and a number of Hen of the woods were found too. We also stumbled across some of the largest Omphalotus illudens (Jack-o’-lantern) I have seen.

Walk leader John Stuart. Species list entered by John Stuart. Identified by John Stuart, Dick Dougall, and Richard Jacob.

List of species found on the walk at Hens in the wood, North Park:

[icon style=”camera”] Amanita muscaria var. formosa (Fly Agaric),
[icon style=”camera”] Armillaria mellea (Honey Mushroom),
[icon style=”camera”] Ascocoryne cylichnium (Purple Jelly Drops),
[icon style=”camera”] Bisporella citrina (Yellow Fairy Cups),
[icon style=”camera”] Boletus pulverulentus (),
[icon style=”camera”] Bondarzewia berkeleyi (Berkeley’s Polypore),
[icon style=”camera”] Clavariadelphus truncatus (Flat Topped Coral),
[icon style=”camera”] Clitocybe gigantea (Giant Clitoccybe),
[icon style=”camera”] Clitocybe nuda (Blewit),
[icon style=”camera”] Conocybe lactea (White Dunce Cap),
[icon style=”camera”] Coprinellus micaceus (Mica Cap),
[icon style=”camera”] Entoloma abortivum (Aborted Entoloma),
[icon style=”camera”] Galerina marginata (Deadily Galerina),
[icon style=”camera”] Ganoderma applanatum (Artist’s Conk),
[icon style=”camera”] Ganoderma lucidum (Ling Chi),
[icon style=”camera”] Grifola frondosa (Hen of the Woods / Sheep Head),
[icon style=”camera”] Hericium coralloides (Bear’s Head Tooth),
[icon style=”camera”] Hypomyces chrysospermus (Bolete Mold),
[icon style=”camera”] Ischnoderma resinosum (),
[icon style=”camera”] Lactarius quietus (),
[icon style=”camera”] Laetiporus sulphureus (Chicken Mushroom; Sulphur Shelf),
[icon style=”camera”] Lepiota rachodes (Shaggy Parasol),
[icon style=”camera”] Lycogala epidendrum (Wolf’s Milk Slime),
[icon style=”camera”] Lycoperdon perlatum (Gem-studded Puffball),
[icon style=”camera”] Lycoperdon pyriforme (Pear-shaped Puffball),
[icon style=”camera”] Naematoloma fasciculare (Sulfur Tuft),
[icon style=”camera”] Hypholoma sublateritium (Brick Tops),
[icon style=”camera”] Neofavolus alveolaris (Hexagonal-pored Polypore),
[icon style=”camera”] Omphalotus illudens (Jack-o’-lantern),
[icon style=”camera”] Pluteus longistriatus (Pleated Pluteus),
[icon style=”camera”] Psilocybe thrausta (AKA Leratiomyces squamosus ),
[icon style=”camera”] Schizophyllum commune (Split Gill),
[icon style=”camera”] Scleroderma citrinum (Pigskin Poison Puffball),
[icon style=”camera”] Scutellinia scutellata (Reddish Eyelash Cup),
[icon style=”camera”] Stereum ostrea (False Turkey-tail),
[icon style=”camera”] Suillus granulatus (Dotted-stalk Suillus; Granulated Slippery Jack),
[icon style=”camera”] Trametes versicolor (Turkey-tail),
[icon style=”camera”] Trichaptum biforme (Violet Toothed-Polypore),
[icon style=”camera”] Tricholomopsis rutilans (Plums-and-custard),
[icon style=”camera”] Tylopilus felleus (Bitter Bolete),
[icon style=”camera”] Tyromyces chioneus (White Cheese Polypore),
[icon style=”camera”] Xerula furfuracea (Rooted Collybia),
[icon style=”camera”] Xylaria polymorpha (Dead Man’s Fingers)

Comments:
Quite a few more species where found including 2 or 3 more species of Amanita but there was a cold wind blowing all the boats and labels of the specimens of the table so we called it a day. Pictures by Brian Johanson and Richard Jacob.

Clockwise from top left Blewits, Honey mushrooms, Hen of the woods, Aborted entoloma, Brick top, Pear shaped puffballs.