MY MUSHROOM YEAR 2023-24

 Although Amanita fulva, commonly referred to as the Tawny Grisette, is not poisonous it must be well cooked before it may safely be eaten. (Cooking destroys its toxins.) Amanitas are so stately that it seems a shame to collect them. I look for fallen specimens wherever possible when I want to photograph volvas or other features that cannot be seen easily on standing fruitbodies. Pale-capped Amanita fulva fungi can be confused with Deathcaps; occasionally a Tawny Grisette will have a very pale-brown, almost light-ochre cap. It tends to be most common in areas where the soil is acidic.(For this reason the Tawny Grisette is often the most abundant Amanita species in the conifer forests of western Wales, northwest England and Scotland.) This species is also found throughout most of mainland Europe. Amanita fulva is also reported from many parts of North America, where although it is quite common it might possibly be a different species from the European mushroom known as the Tawny Gri...

Gloioxanthomyces vitellinus is a species of agaric (gilled mushroom) in the family Hygrophoraceae. It has been given the recommended English name of Glistening Waxcap. The species has a European distribution, occurring mainly in agriculturally unimproved grassland. Glistening waxcap is typical of waxcap grasslands, a declining habitat due to changing agricultural practices. As a result, the species is of global conservation concern and is listed as "endangered" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (Wikepedia)

Phaeolus schweinitzii, commonly known as velvet-top fungus, dyer's polypore, dyer's mazegill, or pine dye polypore, is a fungal plant pathogen that causes butt rot on conifers such as Douglas-fir, spruce, fir, hemlock, pine, and larch. P. schweinitzii is a polypore, although unlike bracket fungi the fruiting body may appear terrestrial when growing from the roots or base of the host tree. The fruiting bodies, appearing in late summer or fall, commonly incorporate blades of grass, twigs, or fallen pine needles as they grow. They are tannish with darker brown centres, with orange to pale margins on young specimens. They may grow beyond 25 cm in diameter. As the fruiting bodies age, the pore surface turns from yellow to greenish yellow, the top becomes darker, and the yellow-brown flesh becomes harder and more wood-like. The pores bruise brown. The spores are white, elliptical, smooth, and inamyloid. (Wikipedia)

  Hypholoma fasciculare, commonly known as the Sulphur tuft or clustered woodlover, is a common woodland mushroom, often in evidence when hardly any other mushrooms are to be found. This saprotrophic small gill fungus grows prolifically in large clumps on stumps, dead roots or rotting trunks of broadleaved trees. The "sulphur tuft" is bitter and poisonous; consuming it can cause vomiting, diarrhea and convulsions. The principal toxin is a steroid known as fasciculol E. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin fascicularis 'in bundles' or 'clustered', referring to its habit of growing in clumps. (Wikipedia)

  Hypomyces is a genus of parasitic ascomycete fungi found in Europe, North America, Australia, and parts of China. The genus contains 53 species. Better known species include the lobster mushroom - Hypomyces lactifluorum and the bolete eater - Hypomyces chrysospermus. (Wikipedia)

  A compilation of mushrooms at Halandskog from the beginning of 2023. When started this mushroom year it was rather late in the season, most of the mushrooms I found are either dead or putrified on the ground. Even before the start of Spring I started frequency the many woods near the neighbourhood to ensure that I don't miss anything. You have the perpetual bodies like polypores, ganoderms and the like over winter ... most pop out only from May onwards.

The life of the forest fungi - Nature Film A forest is a place where thousands of different organisms meet, creating the most complex network of connections that can exist in nature. A forest is a system in which each organism plays a role and has an assigned function. It is worth considering the importance of fungi for the functioning of the forest – the most mysterious group of organisms in this forest puzzle. Director: Michał Ogrodowczyk Script and commentary: Tomasz Leski, Marcin Pietras Year of production: 2020 Producer: Forest Film Studio, Polish State Forests 

 I decided to launch my Mushroom 2023 Year sometime Q4-2022 in late mushroom season. I can't really recall now what prompted it, however after 9 months I have learnt and seen more mushrooms than I have ever seen or learnt about since the day I was born. And I'm the better for it I think, it's a guarantee that I learn about a couple more species after every outing.