More Mushrooms and Rain in Kenosha.

Yesterday was so fun, I decided to repeat it.  Or at least try to.   We had an early day at the warehouse this morning and I was let go after 4 hours.  ( Everyone was.. cause there are no trucks on Sunday!)  I wanted to check out a new area of the Parkside park and see if anything had popped up in an area I have not yet explored. 

Well,  It was not as exciting as yesterday's Chicken Fest!   But I did manage to find several new mushrooms I had never discovered before.  Along with some that I am always willing to add to my collections. 

First, I was in Pines primarily.  Many of the mushrooms I am used to are found in deciduous forests.  So I figured I might find new items anyway.   There were a number of Amanitas on the ground.   But the real prizes were the ones found on the dead logs.  

Bleeding Mycena: (Mycena haematopus) Also known as the Bleeding Fairy Helmet.  Too small to eat but still very pretty.  They leave a small drip of reddish sap after you pick them.  And the glow in the dark, I hear!  

Right next to it was a nice cluster of Coral mushrooms.  I picked them all and we ate them this evening.   Too bad we overcooked them, as the texture of the mushroom is one of the things I like most about it.  ( They still taste good though....) 

Next was Pholiota squarrosa.  Or the shaggy scalycap.  Not edible, but a new find for me.   I love the way these little guys look.   Who would ever think mushrooms come is such a variety? 

I found a small cluster of Meadow mushrooms...  And we ate them tonight as well.   The chocolate brown gills are a key identifying feature.  AND it does not bruise yellow!  ( very important if you don't want a tummy ache.) I'm still alive, so that tells me I did not mess up the ID to badly.

And lastly,  The Climacodon septentrionalis  Or Northern Toothed Shelf Mushroom.   I was very excited about this one.  Not a choice edible... but I ate it and it was not too bad.   They say it smells like ham and I though it tastes like ham as well.  The only reason I think this is not a choice edible was the texture.  Similar to the Dryad Saddle... The texture is tough and chewy. Like tendon y ham!    Perhaps with more cooking it would soften up a bit.  But the taste was pretty good.  And I'm still alive. 

Key feature of this was the Toothed underside.  I have never seen that before and thought it had to be something that I could ID fairly easily. 

There were more uber small mushrooms.  But I  there was very little to set them apart.   For now, I will enjoy the knowledge that I was able to find and ID a could new species of fungi today.   What could be better than that? 

As I write this.  the rain and thunder are pouring outside.  Another chance for more mushrooms perhaps?  We shall see if I even get time to look for them this week.  In the mean time,  I will be enjoying Chicken of the woods in some form or another.  Probably by eating them.  

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.   It is great to be alive in a world with so many wonderful things to discover.   Thanks for stopping in.