thx so much

mushrm newb

Hi mushrm newb, and welcome to the Blog.

Good luck and Caveat Emptor; these mushrooms can be difficult to identify correctly. In a recent meeting with a group of very experienced New York City Mycologists, I was told that they had recently been collecting what they thought was Chaga, only to learn their find was Inonotus glomeratus, another species entirely. (Gilbertson and Ryvarden describe 23 species of Inonotus in North America.)

I came across this trying to identify Chanterelles – I am still not sure – anyone care to help? I have some good pictures. The flesh is white and smells good, the centre of the stem is not hollow, so it all sounds good. But the gills don’t look like most of the photos on the web. I am in Scotland and they were growing below beech trees. I am just itching to try them )

Please help

Colin,
In the western part of the US there is a white chanterelle which is associated with Douglas Fir.. Here in the east species of white Hygrophorous, particularly those which develop a thickened stem, are sometimes mistakenly identified as ‘white chanterelles’. I know that Scotland is well known for its chanterelles, but I would never hazard even a guess at species identification outside of my home region (the Northeastern part of the US).

Bill

The entire Mid-Hudson Valley was once covered by glaciers. In Poughkeepsie, Dutchess Community College for example sits on a drumlin, from which Drumlin Hall derived it’s name. If you Google ‘Dumlin’ you will find a number of pictures and diagrams illustrating their dominant geological characteristics. Armed with this in your mind, you will then begin to see them scattered across the region. Geological maps may also help in identifying specific deposits.

Since drumlins are comprised of a loose aggregate of sand and gravel they are often mined for these deposits. Many of these sites will also show up on Geological Quadrangle maps, but you will soon see them as you drive throughout Dutchess County, often named by the company which is mining them. Check the yellow pages for ‘sand and gravel’.

Chanterelles (and other mycorrhizal fungi) are often found on these deep deposits because of their ability to form relationships with the trees which need the fungi to bring nutrients to the tree. Any sandy or gravelly deposits then are places worth investigating. Think ‘sandy stream beds’, ‘gravel out tailings of flood prone areas’ , ‘the base of natural avalanches’, as well as the more obvious terminal moraine and drumlin deposits.

Because Dutchess, Ulster and Columbia Counties (to name just three) were repeatedly covered with glaciers you would be better off to use the forest characteristics to fine tune your search. Look for Birch, Oaks, Poplar, and as Paul suggests (above), Beech. If you find Amanita, Lactarius, Russula, and Boletus, you are in the right habitat.

The Mid-Hudson Mycological Association will have walks for Chanterelles this summer.

Good luck and bon appitit!

We’re going to keep an eye out for the types of trees that you mentioned above when we go walking, so that is a big help. But one thing I didn’t know was how to find glacial deposits. Are there specific maps or people I should consult to find where these are located? If they’re anything like your picture above, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one. Any ideas would help.

To the list of mycorrhizal trees list in your list, I would add beech. I have been particularly lucky finding Cantharellus cibarius near beech trees and use that as an indicator in some of my new searches for spots. I would also definitely second the edge effect as some of the biggest bounties I have found (many shopping bags full scale of finds) have been near edges of streams and in transitions of geological formations.

Cheers,

Paul

I am afraid that I have very little to say about your specific question however, as I know nothing about the geography, ecology, plants and habitat structure of your home area. Suffice it to say that mushrooms often vary considerably over areas only an hour removed from one another. Add elevation rainfall, and temperature and this variability increases exponentially.

Changes in elevation, for example, mimic changes in latitude. All things being equal, the higher up the mountain one goes, the more ‘northern’ are the species to be found. Over geological time this higher elevation and colder climate becomes more likely to be glaciated leading to the extirpation of the species found there. Subsequent repopulation becomes dependant upon the proximity of more southerly or lowland survivors. In the Northeast, the long North-South trending Appalachian Mountains allowed for easy repopulation of the glaciated mountain chain. The highest peak near us, Slide Mountain in the Catskill, is only 4100′ high, yet was covered by over a mile of ice when glaciers slid southward towards the Mason-Dixon Line. When the glaciers melted and retreated there was a flourishing flora and fauna ready to reclaim their hegemony over the area. Today one can find ‘northern’ species on the tops of this old mountain chain, ‘southern’ species along the valleys and coastline, and generalists everywhere. Surprisingly, even ‘Sub-Tropical’ species can be found in the microclimate of the Hudson River Valley. This effect is easily seen along our coastline. Every fall substantial populations of tropical fishes appear in the rivers, estuaries, and beaches of the northeast, ready and apparently willing to take up permanent residence should the climate allow.

In the vast areas of continental North America, particularly those subject to arid conditions, another pattern seems likely, one where the mountain tops become isolated ‘islands’ cut off from repopulation should their habitats deteriorate. Under harsh conditions those populations often retreat into smaller and smaller mountain-top regions. I would not feel comfortable speculating upon how this might affect your local populations of plants and fungi, but I am sure that a literature describing these effects (particularly under projected Climate Change conditions) exists.

To help with your specific problem of learning more about the mushrooms to be found in your area, you should try to contact a mycologist familiar with your region. It might be hard. When I checked the North American Mycological Association (http://www.namyco.org/ ) directory of members I found only three names listed for Nevada, two from Las Vegas and one from Sparks. By contrast New York has 115 names. But check their data base and look to nearby states for help. Colorado for example has a very active mycological community. Check also your local Colleges and Universities

Concerning Morels, you might be able to find material relative to your local collecting conditions at http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/publications/gtr710/. This is a major study of Morels in the Western United States.

And for a long time David Aurora’s Mushrooms Demystified has been a standard reference for western mycologists. (Find it at Amazon or your local bookstore)

Good luck,
You will have fun. That is sure!

Bill

And thanks for all those useful tips; they remind me I should be posting a few more wild mushroom recipes!