North Fork Bens Creek did not disappoint!  I had previously visited the site last September and found a good variety of species there. This walk was a little earlier in the calendar but there had been a lot of rain in the run up. Approximately 20 people combed the area looking for interesting species. There were quite a few people where this was one of their first mushroom walks. In the forest there was an abundance of mushrooms of all different kinds. With just over 100 identified species collected in 2 hours and a whooping 12 of those were recorded as the first time observed on a club walk.

Species list entered by Richard Jacob. Species identified by Barbora Batokova, Richard Jacob, Robert Bosiljevac, Jared White and others.

Fungi:
Amanita abrupta ( ),
Amanita amerifulva ( American Orange-Brown Ringless Amanita),
Amanita amerirubescens ( Blusher),
Amanita citrina ( False Death-Cap),
Amanita farinosa ( Powder Cap Amanita),
Amanita flavoconia ( Yellow Patches),
Amanita pantherina ( Panther Amanita),
Artomyces pyxidatus ( Crown-tipped Coral Fungus),
Aureoboletus auriporus ( Sour Gold-Pored Bolete),
Aureoboletus innixus ( Clustered Brown Bolete),
Baorangia bicolor ( Red-and-yellow Bolete; Bicolor Bolete),
Boletellus chrysenteroides ( ),
Boletus subvelutipes ( Red-Mouth Bolete),
Cantharellus appalachiensis ( Appalachian Chanterelle),
Ceratiomyxa porioides ( Honeycomb Coral Slime Mold ),
Chlorociboria aeruginascens ( Blue-green Stain),
Clavaria vermicularis ( White Worm Coral Fungus),
Clavulina amethystina ( AKA Clavaria zollingeri),
Clavulinopsis aurantiocinnabarina ( Spindle Shaped Orange Coral),
Clavulinopsis fusiformis ( Spindle Shaped Yellow Coral),
Collybiopsis confluens ( Clustered Toughshank),
Cortinarius distans ( ),
Cortinarius iodes ( Iodine Cort / Viscid Violet Cort),
Crucibulum laeve ( White-egg Bird’s-nest Fungus),
Cyptotrama chrysopepla ( ),
Dacrymyces chrysospermus ( Orange Jelly; Witches’ Butter),
Dacryopinax spathularia ( Spathula Shapped Yellow Jelly),
Daedaleopsis confragosa ( Thin-maze Flat Polypore),
Daldinia childiae ( Carbon Balls),
Entoloma murrayi ( Yellow Unicorn Entoloma),
Entoloma quadratum ( ),
Flammulaster erinaceellus ( Powder-scale Pholiota),
Fomes fomentarius ( Tinder Polypore),
Fuligo septica ( Scrambled-egg Slime; Dog Vomit Slime),
Gloeoporus dichrous ( Bicolored Bracket),
Gloioxanthomyces nitidus ( ),
Gymnopus dryophila ( ),
Gyroporus castaneus ( Chestnut Bolete),
Helvella crispa ( White Saddle),
Helvella macropus ( ),
Hortiboletus campestris ( Field Bolete),
Humidicutis marginata ( ),
Hydnellum concrescens (Zoned Tooth),
Hygrocybe cantharellus ( ),
Hygrocybe conica ( Witch’s Hat),
Hymenopellis furfuracea ( Rooted Collybia),
Hymenoscyphus epiphyllus (),
Hypholoma capnoides ( ),
Hypomyces cervinigenus (Helvella Hypomyces),
Hypomyces chrysospermus ( Bolete Mold),
Hypomyces hyalinus ( Amanita Mold),
Lactarius camphoratus ( Aromatic Milky),
Lactarius lignyotus ( ),
Lactarius peckii ( ),
Lactifluus gerardii ( ),
Laetiporus huroniensis ( Chicken of the Woods on conifer),
Leccinellum albellum ( ),
Leccinum longicurvipes ( ),
Leotia lubrica ( Yellow Jelly Babies),
Marasmius capillaris ( ),
Marasmius rotula ( Pinwheel Marasmius),
Marasmius siccus ( Orange pinwheel),
Megacollybia rodmanii ( Platterful Mushroom),
Mycena sanguinolenta (Bleeding Bonnet),
Niveoporofomes spraguei ( Green Cheese Polypore),
Omphalotus illudens ( Jack-o’-lantern),
Phaeotremella frondosa ( Jelly Leaf),
Phylloporus leucomycelinus ( Gilled Bolete),
Piptoporus betulinus ( Birch Polypore),
Pleurotus levis ( ),
Pleurotus pulmonarius ( Summer Oyster),
Rickenella fibula ( Orange Moss Agaric),
Russula aeruginea ( ),
Russula compacta ( Firm Russula),
Russula dissimulans ( Blushing russula ),
Russula fragrantissima ( ),
Russula ochroleucoides (),
Scleroderma citrinum ( Pigskin Poison Puffball),
Sebacina schweinitzii ( Jellied False Coral),
Suillus americanus ( American Slippery Jack; Chicken Fat Suillus),
Tatraea macrospora ( ),
Trametes versicolor ( Turkey-tail),
Trichaptum abietinum ( Conifer Polypore),
Trichaptum biforme ( Violet Toothed-Polypore),
Tulasnella aurantiaca ( Witches’ Butter),
Tylopilus rubrobrunneus ( Reddish-Brown Bitter Bolete),
Tylopilus violatinctus ( Pale Violet Bitter Bolete),
Tyromyces chioneus ( White Cheese Polypore),
Xeromphalina campanella ( Fuzzy-foot)

Lichen:
Flavoparmelia caperata ( Common greenshield lichen)

Species missing from list:
Clavaria fumosa,
Clavulinopsis laeticolor,
Collybiopsis dichroa,
Delicatula integrella,
Gyroporus smithii,
Gomphaceae sp.,
Hydnum sp.,
Hygrocybe cuspidata,
Hypomyces papulasporae,
Lentoramaria sp.,
Neosarcodon atroviridis,
Pseudomerulius curtisii,
Ramaria grandis,
Tremellodendropsis tuberosa,
Trichoglossum sp.
Wynnea americana