Monday Mushroom Hunting!

Chanterelles are OUT!

Running in Coralville.

After all those Berry Expeditions, it was time for a foraging change!  Let's check out those Mushroom locations in Coralville!    With the heat and the abundance of rain, there was bound to be something growing out there, right?   Well, you never know if you never check.

The Chanterelles have already made an appearance in the yard!  So I figured there has to be a few growing out in the forest near the Harkin trail. ( Named after Senator Harkin, I believe. )     The insane humidity suggested today would be a "light' workout, and Cheryl only ran 5 miles. All the better to search the forest for ticks, poison ivy, and Mushrooms.

Hackberry? 

Or Tawney Emperor?

Ok,  we were not searching for ticks or poison ivy.   Those things tend to find us without any searching on our part.  But we managed to find a few clusters of Oyster Mushrooms while Cheryl was out on the run.

Golden Oysters are still Blooming!

Wood nettle everywhere! 

Back at the car, we prepared to enter the forest on the other side of the road.   There is an abundance of Wood Nettle that seems to enjoy the hot, humid weather.   Unlike poison ivy, you know INSTANTLY that you are in a patch of the stuff.   Your legs feel as if they are on Fire!   

It BURNS! 

It's a terrible thing, because the broad leaves tend to hide all of the Chanterells and field Boletes on the forest floor.  Reaching through the nettle will also set your arms and hands on fire as well.   Terrible stuff!

It did not take long to get to our "Super Secret Mushroom Place" and we discovered a Black Staining Polypore. ( Meripilus sumstinei (formerly M. giganteus)  I was very excited about this, believing it was either a White Chicken of the Woods OR a Cauliflower Mushrooms.    Since the mistake is often made by many mushroom hunters, AND the fact it is edible,  many people are calling it the Rooster Of the Woods!  (Since its look-a-likes are Chicken of the woods and Hen of the Woods.)

Looks like a Pale
Chicken of the Woods

Hmmm, Turns black when
you handle/bruise it. 

However, it is called the Black-staining polypore for a reason.   And that Reason is one of its Identifying Characteristics.   It took about 20 seconds to find the true ID of this thing because it bruises black!   And since many people are not fond of eating black mushrooms... People don't consider this a "choice edible."  Although, we did get it fresh and it seemed very tender.   Very similar to Chicken of the Woods.   I was not feeling adventurous today, so I did not try any of it.

Chanterelles!

A few feet away,  Cheryl found our only cluster of Chanterelles.   These were not the Smooth Chanterelles we found last year, but they are the traditional ones.    We gathered up several and searched around for more.   Unfortunately,  this little cluster was the only ones we found. 

Rhodotus Palmatus! 

Not as colorful as the picture in the
book, possibly from lack of sunlight.

And finally,  I found a small group of Netted Rhodotus!  A very rare find!   This is the first time I discovered it, and according to the mushroom expert and books, they are on a "endangered" list of mushrooms.  ( They are found in Europe and Africa as well.)  They are unique in that they had to make their own genus for them.  ( They lack certain characteristics that neatly fit them into a category.)  So they are in a family of their own! 


So is it edible?  Well,  no one really knows.   I'm going to follow Paul Stamets example in "no being the first" to eat any mushroom that is "edibility unknown".

And finally,  I have been working on my latest Stop-Motion Origami.   I have been at an impasse lately as I have run out of ideas to fold and film.   It is not as easy as it sounds.   I can't film Origami that has no motion..  Like a flower or something.   So I have to have something that can be manipulated somewhat.  And then there are models that do not like "Action" so moving arms and legs is rather difficult.  But enough of my ranting,   Here is an Origami Camel.   Camels walk funny, by the way.  Back legs match their front legs when they move forward.   It is an odd thing to watch..  Hopefully I captured it "good enough".

Hope everyone is having a good Monday.  With the Mushrooms popping out, we may have to give the berries a break and begin searching the ground for tasty edibles.   We shall see.   Thanks for stopping in.