Huitlacoche: Identification, Lookalikes, and Edibility The young galls of the fungus Mycosarcoma maydis, known as huitlacoche (pronounced wee-tlah-KOH-cheh), are a highly prized edible delicacy in parts of the world. Huitlacoche, also commonly known as corn smut, grows on fresh corn and looks bizarre and not particularly appetizing to many people. But in Mexico it is a bred on purpose and sold at a premium; it can be worth 20–50 times the maize it replaces. Outside Mexico, huitlacoche is a niche ingredient. The galls are the result of the fungus infecting the corn and producing swollen, pearly gray to bluish lumps. https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/huitlacoche-identification.html #huitlacoche #mexico #outsidemexico #rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

Devil’s Urn: Identification, Lookalikes, and Edibility Devil's urn is a dark cup fungus that looks like a tiny goblet that got dropped in the forest. It fruits in early spring on decaying hardwood, especially oak. It isn't poisonous, but its tough, leathery flesh makes it a poor edible mushroom. It grows across eastern North America, as well as in Europe, Japan, and China. https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/devils-urn-identification.html #identification #lookalikes #urn #northamerica #japan #china #europe #rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

Orange Jelly Spot: Identification, Lookalikes, and Edibility Orange jelly spot (Dacrymyces chrysospermus) is a bright orange jelly fungus that forms wrinkled masses resembling a brain or a cluster of petals. It is widespread across North America and grows mainly on dead conifer logs, stumps, branches, and old wooden structures. This species is edible, but it doesn't have much flavor and is pretty slimy. https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/orange-jelly-spot.html #jellyspot #orangejelly #northamerica #rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

Why Joining a Mushroom Club Is One of the Best Ways to Learn Mycology Books can teach you terminology. Photographs can introduce you to species. Apps can help organize observations. But few things accelerate your understanding of fungi like going into the field with people who have been studying them for years. That is one of the reasons mushroom clubs remain such an important part of the mycological community. A typical club may organize mushroom walks, identification sessions, lectures, cultivation workshops, culinary events, photography activities and presentations by professional or experienced amateur mycologists. Each event provides a different way to engage with fungi. For beginners, a club offers something particularly valuable: context. Someone can show you the difference between gills, pores and teeth; demonstrate which characteristics matter when identifying a specimen; explain the relationship between a mushroom and its surrounding trees; or point out a tiny fungus you would otherwise have walked past. Clubs are not only for beginners, either. More experienced members may participate in biodiversity surveys, voucher collections, DNA sequencing projects, educational programs and conservation initiatives. There is also a social dimension that should not be underestimated. Mushroom hunting has a wonderful ability to bring together people with completely different professional backgrounds who share the same habit of suddenly stopping in the middle of a trail because somebody spotted something interesting. NAMA works with more than 90 affiliated mycological societies across North America and maintains a directory to help people find organizations in their area. Many clubs welcome newcomers who arrive knowing little more than, “I think mushrooms are interesting.” That is more than enough to begin. You might arrive looking for the name of a mushroom. You may leave with new friends, new knowledge and an entirely new way of looking at the natural world. Join NAMA Today or explore our network of affiliate mushroom clubs and find one near you! The post Why Joining a Mushroom Club Is One of the Best Ways to Learn Mycology appeared first on North American Mycological Association. https://namyco.org/why-join-a-mushroom-club/

Why Fungi Matter: The Hidden Partners of Healthy Ecosystems Most fungi spend the majority of their lives out of sight. The mushroom that appears above the soil or on a fallen log is usually only the visible reproductive structure of a much larger fungal organism. Beneath our feet, within wood and around plant roots, fungi participate in some of the most important processes in an ecosystem. One of their most familiar roles is decomposition. Fungi help break down fallen leaves, branches and dead trees, returning nutrients to the ecosystem instead of leaving organic matter permanently locked away. Many fungi also form close relationships with plants. Mycorrhizal fungi associate with plant roots, participating in exchanges that can help plants gain access to water and nutrients while receiving carbon compounds produced by the plant. Other fungi interact with i, animals, bacteria, algae and even other fungi. Together, these relationships make fungi part of an enormously complicated biological network. Yet fungal conservation has historically received much less attention than the conservation of plants and animals. A tremendous amount of fungal diversity remains undocumented, making observations, biodiversity surveys, specimens and long-term records particularly important. There are simple ways anyone interested in fungi can contribute. Learn about the fungi where you live. Photograph and document observations. Support natural history collections. Participate in organized biodiversity projects. Leave some fallen wood and other natural material in suitable habitats rather than assuming every dead branch must be removed. Perhaps most importantly, begin including fungi when you think and talk about biodiversity. A healthy forest is not simply a collection of trees and animals. Much of what keeps that forest functioning is happening quietly underneath them. Once we begin seeing fungi as fundamental members of ecosystems rather than occasional mushrooms appearing after rain, conservation starts to look very different The post Why Fungi Matter: The Hidden Partners of Healthy Ecosystems appeared first on North American Mycological Association. https://namyco.org/why-fungi-matter-to-ecosystems/

From Forest Find to Scientific Record: What Is a Mushroom Voucher? Finding an interesting mushroom in the forest can be exciting. But what if that discovery could still be useful to scientists decades from now? That is the idea behind a voucher specimen. A voucher is a carefully documented physical specimen preserved as a permanent scientific record. In mycology, the process generally begins in the field. Collectors record important information such as the location, habitat, substrate and surrounding vegetation. The specimen can then be photographed while its fresh characteristics—such as color, shape and texture—are still visible. After identification and documentation, a selected specimen is dried and preserved in a scientific collection known as a fungarium or herbarium. Why keep the physical mushroom when we already have photographs? Because scientific questions change. A specimen collected today may be examined years later by another researcher. Its microscopic structures can be studied. Its original identification can be reassessed as taxonomy changes. In many cases, DNA can also be extracted and compared with newly collected material. That makes properly documented specimens much more than dried mushrooms. They become reference points in our understanding of fungal biodiversity and distribution. NAMA’s Voucher Collection Project has been preserving material collected at NAMA forays since 1997. Voucher data, photographs and specimens contribute to a permanent collection housed at the Field Museum of Natural History. It is a powerful example of how amateur and professional mycologists can work together. A person walking through the woods may make the original observation. An experienced identifier may determine what the specimen appears to be. Volunteers may photograph, record and process it. Scientists can later use that material in research. The result is community science that can continue producing knowledge long after the original mushroom has disappeared from the forest floor. The post From Forest Find to Scientific Record: What Is a Mushroom Voucher? appeared first on North American Mycological Association. https://namyco.org/what-is-a-mushroom-voucher-specimen/

True Turkey Tail vs. False Turkey Tail: How To Tell Them Apart Finding true turkey tail to gather for medicine requires a forager to know the lookalikes and be aware of the top key identification features to verify they've found the real thing. True turkey tail is touted for immune support and as an add-on to cancer treatment. https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/true-turkey-tail-vs-false.html

Growing Mushrooms at Home: A Beginner’s Introduction You do not have to wait for the perfect combination of rainfall, temperature and forest habitat to watch mushrooms develop. You can grow them yourself. Home mushroom cultivation offers a fascinating way to experience fungal biology at close range. Instead of encountering only the fruiting body, growers can watch mycelium colonize a substrate and eventually produce mushrooms when environmental conditions are right. For beginners, oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus species) are a popular starting point. They grow vigorously and can utilize a variety of lignocellulosic materials. NAMA describes oyster mushrooms as among the easiest mushrooms to cultivate for beginners. Other commonly cultivated mushrooms include shiitake, wine caps, maitake and several additional gourmet species, each with different requirements. Whatever the species, cultivation depends on several basic factors. The fungus needs an appropriate food source or substrate. Depending on the species, that could include straw, hardwood sawdust, wood chips or logs. It also needs suitable environmental conditions for fruiting. Humidity is important, as is temperature. Fresh-air exchange helps prevent excessive carbon dioxide accumulation, and many cultivated species benefit from indirect light. For someone completely new to cultivation, a commercially prepared grow kit can provide a straightforward introduction. It lets you focus on maintaining fruiting conditions rather than preparing and inoculating substrate from scratch. Once you understand the process, cultivation can become as simple or sophisticated as you want it to be—from outdoor mushroom beds and inoculated logs to indoor growing chambers. Perhaps the most rewarding part is seeing something that previously seemed mysterious become understandable. The first flush of mushrooms is impressive. Watching the invisible mycelial phase that made it possible is even more interesting. The post Growing Mushrooms at Home: A Beginner’s Introduction appeared first on North American Mycological Association. https://namyco.org/growing-mushrooms-at-home/

Asian Beauty Fungus: Identification, Lookalikes, and Edibility The Asian beauty fungus (Radulomyces copelandii) looks like a white shag carpet growing out of the cracks of tree bark. This crust fungus is often confused with Hericium species (Lion's Mane, Bear's Head, and Coral Tooth) because it has hundreds of slender white spines on its surface. From a few feet away, the patch looks like a young lion's mane mushroom just emerging. There are some key differences, though, that are easy to recognize once you know what to look for. https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/asian-beauty-fungus.html

How to Photograph Mushrooms in the Field Mushrooms make extraordinary photographic subjects. They can be brilliantly colorful or nearly invisible. Some tower above the forest floor while others are only a few millimeters across. Gills, pores, scales, droplets, translucent caps and intricate textures offer almost endless possibilities for photography. You do not need expensive equipment to begin. A modern smartphone is capable of producing excellent mushroom photographs when used carefully. Start by getting low. Most mushrooms are close to the ground, and photographing them from standing height often produces little more than a picture of the cap. Lowering the camera toward the mushroom’s level can reveal the stem, underside and surrounding habitat while producing a much more engaging perspective. Next, pay attention to the background. A small mushroom can easily disappear into a chaotic scene of leaves, sticks and grass. Slightly changing your camera angle may create a cleaner composition without disturbing the habitat. Soft natural light generally works beautifully for fungi. Cloudy skies, forest shade or light diffused through vegetation can reveal subtle textures without the harsh highlights produced by direct sunlight. For documentary photography, think beyond the “pretty picture.” Photograph the entire mushroom, the cap, stem and underside. Include habitat photographs and, when appropriate, an image that shows scale. These details can make your photographs much more valuable as observations. Most importantly, treat the subject gently. Moving surrounding leaves slightly may sometimes reveal important details, but there is rarely a need to destroy the scene just to produce a more dramatic image. NAMA’s Visual Arts program recognizes both artistic and documentary approaches to mushroom photography, reflecting the wonderful overlap between science and creativity that fungi inspire. A mushroom photograph can be art, a memory, an identification aid and a scientific record—all at the same time. The post How to Photograph Mushrooms in the Field appeared first on North American Mycological Association. https://namyco.org/how-to-photograph-mushrooms/