After the beautiful warm autumn weather the weekend was a cool reminder of what the weather is normally like at this time of year. Even so a number of people braved the rain and hail to take a walk on the Allegheny Land Trust Wingfield Pines Conservation Area. The site is a floodplain with a few pines on the high ground and large Sycamore trees along the creek bank. It was here that we found the smallest and for me the most exciting find, Marasmius felix. We knew it was a Marasmius species but we were unable to identify the exact species until later in the day. The key identifying feature was that it grew on the stems of Sycamore leaves other identifying features also matched.

The second interesting find was Dacryopinax spathularia an orange colored edible jelly fungus sometimes added to the Chinese/Buddhist dish Buddha’s delight. Both the Dacryopinax spathularia and Marasmius felix were sampled for DNA barcoding.

Species list entered by La Monte H.P. Yarroll.

List of species found on the walk at Wingfield Pine with Allegheny Land Trust:

Cyathus striatus (Splash Cups),
Dacryopinax spathularia (),
Exidia recisa (),
Fomitopsis spraguei (),
Marasmius albuscoticis (),
Marasmius capillaris (),
Marasmius felix (),
Peziza badia (Yellow Ear Cup),
Phlebia tremellosa (),
Pluteus cervinus (Fawn (Deer) Mushroom),
Polyporus squamosus (Pheasant Polypore),
Stereum complicatum (Crowded Parchment),
Trametes versicolor (Turkey-tail),
Tremella mesenterica (Witches’ Butter),
Trichaptum abietinum (Conifer Polypore),
Trichaptum biformis (Violet Toothed-Polypore),
Tyromyces chioneus (White Cheese Polypore),
Xylaria polymorpha (Dead Man’s Fingers)