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‘A treacherous, mutable tribe …’
Looking almost alien, a clump of Clavaria purpurea grows in typical pine habitat near Montezuma. Purple fairy club, as it's commonly known, is listed as an edible mushroom by Caps and Stems. Click on the image to learn more.
Hydnellum suaveolens growing mycorrhizally with a spruce tree in the Straight Creek drainage.
SUMMIT COUNTY — Weather conditions this summer have been favorable for the growth of mushrooms that don’t appear every year. So far, there hasn’t been much research into what global warming could mean for fungi, but mycologist Jack States, author of the definitive field guide to mushrooms of the Southwest, warned that the recent fungal invasion into bat caves could be one early warning sign.
Caves are known for maintaining stable temperatures and humidity levels, so when fungi start to move into zones like this, it could be a sign that external conditions are changing to the point that it’s affecting those heretofore stable environments. Fungi, he warned, are a treacherous and mutable tribe, and the decomposers always have the last say. More after the break …
Hygrohporus erubescens, a pinkish member of the waxy cap family, grow in the Snake River Basin in Summit County, Colorado.
The pattern and texture on the cap of this Agaricus amicosus is slightly unusual, but the pink, turning to chocolate-colored gills are a good indication of the genus. This mushroom is closely related to the store-bought mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. There are continuing arguments among top mushroom experts as to the exact breakdown of the Agaricus, including which species are edible. In Summit County, this mushroom often has a strong and enjoyable anise smell and taste. Click on the picture to learn more. The cap of this mushroom was about six inches in diameter, and pushed its way up through a clump of dead wood.
A yellow coral mushroom (Ramaria largentii) in the woods near Keystone, Colorado.
A somewhat unusual blue-footed Hydnellum suaveolens grows upsid-down in an undercut embankment along Straight Creek, near Dillon, Colorado. Hydnellum are the toothed fungi, a group including the edible hawk's wings. This particular species is graced with amazing minty-sweet fragrance.
Aahhh, fungi! Check out the interesting gill structure and the veil remnant on these small mushrooms, probably member of the Cortinarius family.
Filed under: mushrooms and fungi, Summit County Colorado Tagged: | Agaricus, Colorado, Edible mushroom, Fungus, mycology, Summit County News, Summit County photography
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Mycorrhizally? Who would know?