Toadstool or Mushroom?

 Any Amateur Mycologists out there? Or even a Professional Mycologist, perchance?

There has been a lot of damp humid weather recently, and the fungus population has sprouted overnight. Does anyone recognise these? There are lots of them growing in an area of spare ground at the back of a nearby house. Some were only an inch across, and others as wide as 4 inches. 

Could be Common Agrocype  or Spring Agrocype. Apparently edible, but I'm definitely not going to try it.

And a bit further along, there were these tiny little mushrooms hiding along the edge of the sidewalk. About the size of a little fingernail.

I think this might be Pear-shaped Puffball, Lycoperdon pyriforme. Large clumps of these small puffballs can be found on logs or growing in woodchips along park trails. Puffballs have a small pore on the top where the spores are released. When a large rain drop lands on a mature puffball the force is sufficient to release a "puff" of spores. The spongy filling helps the puffball regain its shape after being compressed.

Spidey, is that you?

This morning the wet grass had lots of these delicate spider webs decorated with tiny dewdrops. This one was about 4 inches across, but there were many more smaller ones.

What are they? What kind of spider makes these webs?

I had to ask know-it-all Professor Google, and he told me that these are not really spider webs. The webs are branching mycelium of dollar spot fungus, Sclerotinia homeocarpa, often appearing on lawns in warm and damp summer mornings.  These webs disappear when the grass dries, but the fungus is still there. It causes brown spots about the size of a dollar coin, and can grow to cover much larger areas. There has been a lot of rain over the last few days, and the lawn watering system has been working too, so the dollar spot fungus is probably feeling very happy!

Mr. Armstrong again

Back in 2015, a young tree was planted in front of my house. It was an Armstrong Maple, and was a replacement for an ash tree that had been killed by an infestation of the nasty Emerald Ash Borer. I was excited about my beautiful new tree. I called him Mr. Armstrong, and and wrote about him here.

But all is not well with Mr. Armstrong. For the last couple of years, I noticed that the main leader branch at the top of the tree had no buds or leaves. Last summer a tree specialist cut off the main spike, and the tree seemed to recover. However, the main trunk shows either insect damage or some kind of disease, and there's loads of grey and yellow lichen growing on the bark.

And further down I see a small shelf bracket fungus has started to grow, a sure sign of something that shouldn't be happening to a healthy tree.

Yet the branches are full of new spring growth and tiny delicate maple flowers.

It looks like Mr. Armstrong's in trouble.

Shaggy Ink Cap

This Shaggy Ink Cap (coprinus comatus) is definitely past its prime. When these mushrooms are young, they have a grey shaggy appearance and they are edible, although I've never tried one. Once picked, it should be cooked and eaten fast, as it literally degrades into a black puddle very fast.

Because the gills under the mushroom cap are very close together, its hard for the spores to be released, so as the mushroom matures, the edges start to dissolve into a black inky liquid and curl upwards, enabling the spores to escape and make more Shaggy Ink Caps!

To actually make ink, the black ink cap liquid can be heated with a little water and some cloves, and voila! you have ink! I think the world of fungi is fascinating. I'm a closet mycologist.

Circle of Life

Bracket fungus or shelf fungus, also known as a polypore.

Scotch Settlement

We went geocaching this morning. It's OlderSon and Callum's newest hobby. This particular cache was hidden at the Scotch Settlement Arboretum in Bradford, West Gwillimbury. It was a cool morning.... rain threatened.

In 1815, 140 Scots came from Lord Selkirk's Red River Settlement in Manitoba eventually making their way to what is now known as the Scotch Settlement in West Gwillimbury. The first school and church known as Auld Kirk was established in 1823 .
In 1865 a second church was established. Originally known as "The 2nd West Gwillimbury Presbyterian Church" — over time, the church became known as "The Scotch Settlement Presbyterian Church". The arboretum trees were planted by members of the local Horticultural Society. 
The small cache was wrapped in camo tape and well hidden..... I'm not going to tell where and spoil it.... but easy to find using the GPS.

So we signed the paper with the date and our names, tucked the cache away in it's hiding place and registered the find on the web site. This was a very small cache, but some of them are a lot bigger and contain all sorts of exchangeable items.

On the way back, there were lots of these grey mushrooms in an area surrounded by pine and spruce trees. Anyone know what they are?

Update: Possibly Grey Knight (Tricholoma terreum) also known as the Dirty Tricholoma. This is a late-season mushroom that thrives in pine forests, forming large groups with the first cold spells. And it's edible! But we didn't take any home for dinner.

Geocaching seems to be great way to explore areas that you'd otherwise miss. I had no idea that this little arboretum existed and I knew nothing about the history of the Scotch Settlement..

Seasonal Changes

O C T O B E R.
Where did the warm September sunshine go? It's getting colder. The furnace has had it's fall cleaning and maintenance and is already warming the house. And there's a frost warning tonight. Brrrr....
I took Tessa the mad DoodleDog for a gentle walk top speed romp through York Regional Forest, and even though it was a dull day, the fall colours were glowing.

I'm so lucky to be able to enjoy this beautiful public place and it's just a ten minute drive from my house. And Tessa's a lucky dog to get to go there with me! I hope she appreciates it.

There were quite a few walkers with their dogs out enjoying the brisk fall air. Most of the dogs were splashing in the pond. Of course, Tessa didn't want to be left out and she joined in the fun. That water must have been very cold but she didn't care! This pond is home to frogs, fish and turtles. The water is flowing all the time, and it freezes over in the winter.

 

I was just focusing the camera when a jogger suddenly appeared and made me jump.  He must have been hiding in the bushes!!!

I think I'll have to return to this tree with my camera on a sunnier day... the colour was stunning.

 And any amateur mycologists out there, who can ID this mushroom?

No, I didn't pick it, someone else picked it and discarded it. And no, I don't think I'll try it for dinner.... looks a bit dodgy.

Update: after "mushroom picking" through the internet, I think this might be a species of amanita, and definitely poisonous. Pictures here.

Forest Trail

I've been given the very important job of puppysitting for the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. Tessa is three years old now, but she's convinced that she's still a puppy. It was a perfect blue sky morning so I took Tessa for a walk er, I mean top speed doggy romp, frolic, gallop, run ten times further than anyone else, through York Regional Forest to tire her out. She's less trouble that way!

The colours are glorious with the sun lighting up the leaves. One more wind and rainstorm and they'll all be gone.
A couple of weeks ago EG Wow posted a picture of this strange tipi made of sticks in the middle of the forest. It seems to have more sticks now.... maybe passers by add a stick to it and make a wish to the forest fairies?

I tried to pose Tessa in front of it and asked her to smile nicely for the camera but she wouldn't cooperate.

There were lots of walkers with their dogs, horses and riders, and even a mountain biker taking advantage of the lovely October weather. And lots of people leaving the trails and carrying large buckets. I wondered what they were doing....

.... and then I met a group of Italians who proudly showed me their harvest, courtesy of Mother Nature.
They'll be eating well tonight!

Calling all Mycologists!

Any amateur mycologists out there?
How many of these beauties can you name?

It's been a wet summer and the fungi are thriving in the forest.
The only one I can name with certainty is number 8, Giant puffball (Calvatia gigantea).... see my previous post.
Number 5 looks like Field mushroom (Agaricus campestris) but I'm not sure.
I don't intend to eat any of them!

Updates:

1: Turkey Tail Bracket Fungi (Trametes versicolor) thanks Tom.

2. Grey Oyster Mushroom.... possibly.

3. Russula humidicola or Russula silvicola, your choice!

7. Confirmed as Coral Mushroom, a.k.a. Coral Tooth or Coral Hydnum (Hericium coralloides) for details see here, and if you fancy it for dinner, see here.

Giant Puffball

There were two of them. Giant Puffballs love the damp weather we've been having all summer. Someone had smashed one with a stick, but the other one was still in one piece.

It measured 18" across... no kidding! It was huge.
The only thing I had with me to give some idea of scale was Tessa's leash.

I left it where it was. Giant puffballs are edible, but this one was a bit too big for my frying pan!

Travels with Tessa - Part 3

Now that the long weekend has come and gone, the sun is shining again.... it was rainy and cold for most of the time, but we still managed to take some long walks between the showers.
Tessa renewed her acquaintance with the swans, but they sensibly kept their distance.

By the edge of the water there are clumps of Marsh Marigolds growing, also known as Kingcups, bright and sunny even on a dull rainy drippy sort of day.

Here's a rare find... a Yellow Morel. This is one of the best wild mushrooms for eating, commanding a high price if you can find them for sale. I left this one where it is, growing under an ancient apple tree. Someone else might decide to take it home and sample it for dinner, but not me!

And this bracket fungus isn't so rare... Dryad's Saddle. It grows on dead and dying deciduous trees, and can grow up to half a meter across. Edible when young... but again... I'm not going to try it.

Tessa found a little stick house to explore. Perhaps this could be where the dryads live when they're not sitting on their saddles?

YoungerSon and The Bride collected Tessa on their way home from their weekend in NYC yesterday.

Life here will be a lot quieter without having to keep an eye at all times on a naughty, rambunctious, mischevious, garden-digging, early-morning-howling, midnight-barking, flowerpot-chewing, tulip-eating energetic puppy!

For Travels with Tessa - Parts 1 amd 2, see the two previous posts.

Mushroom Mystery

My compost pile is covered in mushrooms! Or are they toadstools?

They LOOK like mushrooms.

They SMELL like mushrooms.

They FEEL like mushrooms.

But do they TASTE like mushrooms? Can I eat them for breakfast with my bacon and eggs and expect to survive until lunchtime?

Any ideas?

Kool-Aid and Sulphur Tuft

Did you ever make Kool-Aid for the kids on a hot summer day?
Did you ever wonder about those bright colours?
I've discovered a new use for Kool-Aid....

I bought a bunch of white wool yarn from the charity shop... now, what to do with it? I know! I'll have some fun dyeing it with Kool-Aid! If you want to try this, instructions are here.

This was created from Orange Kool-Aid dabbed with a touch of Tropical Punch, and some of the yarn was left it's natural white colour. I'm quite pleased with this one.... perhaps a hat for Baby Callum? Make sure you cover your table with a plastic sheet, and wear rubber gloves or you'll be displaying Tropical Punch fingers for a couple of days.

This creation consists of Lemon-Lime Kool-Aid, Ice Blue, and a touch of Tropical Punch. The Tropical Punch came in a blue packet, so I thought it was going to be blue, but to my surprise it was red. Duh! Perhaps it was a mistake to add the red... it looks a bit too Christmassy to me.

I tied the skein of yarn tightly in numerous places before dunking in the dye to create small white areas where the dye could not penetrate. The whole skein was dunked in Grape Kool-Aid and then painted between the tied areas with a sprinkling of Tropical Punch. That Tropical Punch was actually quite a good colour, in spite of not matching the packet! I like this, it has heathery shades in it. I still have more yarn to experiment with, and I haven't tried Cherry, Lemon or Strawberry-Kiwi flavours yet!

And now a fungus update. Tom was right, yesterday's post shows Suphur Tuft, or Hypholoma fasciculare. This small gill fungus grows in large clumps on stumps, dead roots or rotting trunks of broadleaved trees. But beware... it's not intended for breakfast!

This is what it looks like this morning, after a rainy night. Qute a contrast to the previous post.

Mushroom or Toadstool?

Last year, one of the ancient maple trees lining the street became unsafe, and was cut down.

The roots were left to rot, and this spring I noticed a new visitor... an interesting fungus colony has appeared around the stump.

I tried searching the internet but can't find any references.

Can anyone name this fungus?

YoungerSon... you took mycology courses at Uni... any ideas?