This has been standing in my garden for what seems like a long time for a fungus. Maybe 2 months? I'd love to see more there next year. Can someone tell me something about it?
What mushroom is this?
Here's another pic
The ID of fungi requires many things - spore color, taste, smell, and pictures of the underside - gills/pores? Yes - you can safely "taste" fungi - just don't swallow.
Thanks, wannadanc. I've always liked seeing fungi but I don't know much about them. I don't know if there is enough of this one left to figure much out but I'll take another look. I'll also try to be more observant next time I have a question. My wife and I have a cabin in western NC and we've inoculated some logs and harvested some shiitakes. We'd like to learn more about how to identify what we see growing in the forest. Do you have a suggestion of a good field guide or other reading for novices? We also love to dance.
Good for you, back40bean - learning about fungi is a lot of fun. The best and safest way is to find folks who love to show you what is OK and what isn't. You might check your area of mushroom clubs. There are many books, some much better than others. Learning what fits your geographic area is best - and so that person who takes you out in the woods can also recommend a good book.
I just looked at Amazon and they have a bunch of books about mushrooms the one I am leaning toward is Petersons Field guide to mushrooms =North America I have several other Peterson guides and like all of them
A little update on the ID book I ordered the Peterson book and it is not as good as the little Golden book that I already have ..We are fortunate to have a very good library system here in SE Oklahoma so I am going to the library today and see what they have ,BTW that is what I should have done to start with OH well 20/20 hindsight..
Just got another reccomendation on a mushroom book >>Mushrooms Demystefied by David Arora checked on Amazon WOW very pricey for a paperback $26..
grits, my wife has gotten very interested in identifying, and cooking with, fungi. I will learn along with her but this will be her area of expertise. I spend most of my time now with our shrubs and perennials and the landscape in general. I like knowing about fungi and I asked her to rate the mushroom books we have recently published.
Her absolute favorite is "The Mushroom Book" by Thomas Laessoe, Anna Del Conte and Gary Lincoff. She had first borrowed this from our local library. It may be out of print, though because I paid way more than the $29.95 jacket price for a new one from Amazon. There were also used ones available but this was a birthday gift for her.
A reasonable substitute for the above book is another by Thomas Laessoe and Gary Lincoff called "Mushroons". It, like the above book has good, sometimes multiple pics of the funge and good discriptions. It costs about $20 and is smaller. My main complaint is that the print is very small. If you are younger that may not be a problem.
Good luck in your search for information.
A friend recently took a colledge course ( no credit) and this Mushrooms De mystified was the required or rather suggested text but I am on a first name basis with the ladies at our local library so they will help me search for the ones you have suggested it is really nice to be able to locate a book and check it out and get to test drive it for a couple of weeks before deciding to buy one or not ..we have 16 sites in SE Oklahoma and can get any book that any other site has for a 2$ fee that just covers the delivery
The BEST aid for fungal ID is a partner with experience. Arora's book is spendy - more fun is his smaller book "All That The Rain Promises". I have both, plus a whole lot more. I would give all of them for a picking partner ..... getting old ain't for sissies!!!!!