fungi « A Passion for Nature

An Escape… October 9, 2010

Posted by Jennifer Schlick in autumn, fruits and berries, fungi, hiking, trees, wild edibles.
8 comments

Fire Tower Trail, Allegany State Park

Sometimes when the world is weighing down heavily on your shoulders, the only thing that helps is a little escape… a chance to walk, explore, breathe crisp Autumn air. A chance to surround yourself with the familiar, yet be open to the novel.

The Art Roscoe Ski area at Allegany State Park is a wonderful place for cross-country skiing in winter. Turns out, it is also a wonderful place for hiking when there is no snow.

Fire Tower at the Art Roscoe Ski Area, Allegany State Park

A side trail runs parallel to the main trail and takes you to a Fire Tower. I pushed my fear deep down into my boots and climbed the stairs, hoping for a glorious vista from the top. There were hand rails and the stairs were sturdy. Still, my heart pounded hard and my breath came in short, shallow fits.

It was indeed worth it! The view from the top was spectacular and very much justified the climb.

The Allegany “Mountains” are really a big old ocean bed that was carved out over time by melting glacier water and various other forms of erosion. When you climb up for a view from the top, you can see that all the “peaks” are the same height.

View from the Top

It was helpful to have my hiking buddy in front of me on the descent… much easier looking at his backpack than at the steep stairs that went on and on. Back on the ground, it took a while before the adrenaline left my muscles and I could relax again… and turn my attention from big sweeping views to the forest’s minutiae.

A tiny moth kept trying to hide from me under the leaves...

Most of the Sweetwater trail is wide and in winter two trails for skiing are groomed making for fast, easy skiing. Along the way we found a narrower trail that crossed Sweetwater. Always favoring the road less travelled, we took a right hand turn.

Loose and peeling bark is back-lit by the Autumn rays.

It was late afternoon and the long, slanting rays of the sun were golden, creating vibrant, colorful mini-landscapes.

The log we chose to rest on was decorated with a familiar "Icicle Fungus"

A bit further down the trail, there was an opening and the combination of “plant” life was simply delightful… Some I recognized and knew the names of… Others I recognized, but have no names for… And one brand new! (I put the word plant in quotes… because back when I studied biology the first time, there were only two kingdoms: Plants and Animals. And under that scheme… all these things would have been classified as plants…)

Lichens and Mosses

The first thing I noticed was a thick carpet of lichens – some 6 or 8 inches tall, punctuated with mosses competing for space. Tucked in here and there were mushrooms… so bitty it would have been easy to miss them altogether…

A tiny mushroom manages to pop up through the thick mat of moss and lichen.

A little trail nibble was provided by a patch of Wintergreen that was sharing the soil with the others.

Wintergreen... not the juiciest of berries... but a very pleasant flavor.

Very near the bushy-shrubby type lichens were stalks that resembled small cups on stems, decorated with a bit of red. I’m not sure if they are a structure of the the shrubby type, or a whole separate species…

This seems to match other photos I have found labeled "Lesser Sulpher Cup Lichen."

And then there were the Lycopodium…

These little "club mosses" or "ground pines" are considered "exploitatively vulnerable" in New York State. They have been over-harvested for wreath-making.

If I have seen the next one before, it was never in such abundance and so easy to investigate… It warrants several pictures…

Running Club Moss

Oh dear… this post is getting very long and there is still so much more to tell… I guess I’ll click “publish” and tell you more later…

Orange! February 12, 2010

Posted by Jennifer Schlick in fungi, winter.
5 comments

Lolli attempts conversation with Beaver while Mozart surveys the frozen pond.

I wasn’t out “naturalizing”. I was just out for a walk. I needed the exercise… so did the dogs. I needed to fill my lungs with fresh air. I wasn’t looking to learn anything new or to see anything all that different…

Then orange caught my eye, squeezing out from the bark of an Eastern Hemlock tree on the side of the beaver pond.

I photographed it (with both cameras)… assumed I knew what it was – Witch’s Butter – duh… and moved on.

Then I sat down to write a post about Witch’s Butter. I dug out books and surfed the ‘net… and got confused.

First of all, the common name “witch’s butter” can be applied to more than one species of fungus. So, I was right! But the question is… what species do I have here? I dug through other pictures of orange goo I have taken over the years. I had assigned Latin names to many of these at the time I took the pictures… but now, reviewing the resources, I’m no longer sure…

I’m no mycologist and to be honest, I’m not all that dedicated to identifying these to the species level… But as I read about the different jelly fungi, I became fascinated at the inter-relationships with other living and dead things. Some fungi feast on dead organic material, some on living (non-fungal) tissues, and still others parasitize other fungi.

I’ll give you some of the clues here, and maybe we can try to puzzle out which species is which from my photographs together!

Tremella mesenterica is found on decaying hardwood. According to Michael Kuo at MushroomExpert.com, T. mesenterica is parasitic on the mycelium of another fungus in the genus Peniophora which might be hiding under the bark even when you see no fruiting bodies. Peniophora are resupinate crust fungi. (I just learned that word, too – resupinate means “seemingly turned upside down”.) I don’t know what species T. mesenterica likes to parasitize… but I happened to have a picture of P. rufa, so I’m including it here. Hmm… #3 above was on a dead hardwood… Maybe that one is T. mesenterica? I didn’t see any Peniophora on that trunk, but I suppose it could be there hiding beneath the bark…

Tremella aurentia is “gregarious on downed hardwood” and parasitic on Stereum hirsutum (false turkey tail) and is described as “yellow-orange, shiny when wet, otherwise dull.” Hmm… in picture #1 above, the description is right. Those grayish/green mini-shelves could be old S. hirsutum as the normally orange stripes are reported to fade over time – and while it usually grows on hardwoods, is occasionally found on conifers. The tree was definitely still standing, however… and I THOUGHT it was still alive… Hmm… I’d still go with T. aurentia for picture #1 based on my sloppy naturalizing. (UPDATE 2/13/2010: I went back yesterday in an attempt to correct at least a bit of my sloppy naturalizing… the trees with orange goo were indeed hemlock, but they were also indeed quite dead… still standing, but dead.)

Here’s an awesome photo posted on Flickr by John Davis, which I think fits the bill for T. aurentia:

Dacrymyces palmatus is the only one of the three that is reported to live on conifers. I think my #2 and #4 above are probably this species… both were found on downed Eastern Hemlock. The intensely different shapes/textures confuse me… but then, these fungi are shape-shifters as they age, and depending on the weather conditions.

Mycologists are amazing. With over 70,000 species identified and named, they believe there could be in excess of a million more to be discovered. I suppose if I really really really cared, I’d be out there collecting spore prints, testing the fruits with various chemicals, examining bits of tissue and spores under the microscope…

But really, I was just out for a walk…

Get confused:

Tremella mesenterica – Mushroom Expert
Tremella aurentia – California Fungi
Dacrymyces palmatus – California Fungi
Stereum hirsutum – California Fungi;
Stereum hirsutum – Mushroom Expert
Tree of Life Web Project – more information than you thought was possible about fungi

Black Knot December 7, 2008

Posted by Jennifer Schlick in fungi, galls, mysteries, trees.
3 comments

I received more than one comment or email on my Foam in the Creeks post which armed readers with information that could make them nature Smarty Pants when hiking with friends…

Well, here’s another one that may help you when someone asks, “What is that black stuff on the branches of that tree?”

The black, warty galls appear on trees in the Prunus genus. In this case it is Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), but it often affects wild and cultivated prune and plum trees as well. Because all these trees have commercial value, you can find plenty of information about Black Knot (Apiosporina morbosa) and how to control it online!

The Cornell site listed below includes this diagram explaining the “disease cycle” of Black Knot:

While there are fungicidal treatments that can be used, most of the articles first recommend pruning in winter and removal from the site and/or burning of the galls.

Michael Kuo, author of many of the articles at MushroomExpert.com, has a great sense of humor. First, he describes Black Knot as looking like “dried cat poop on a stick.” Each article at the Mushroom Expert site includes information about whether or not the species is edible. Regarding Black Knot, he had this to say:

As far as the edibility of Apiosporina morbosa is concerned, I have four words for you: Look at the picture.

He cracks me up.

Sources:

Black Knot Fact Sheet – Cornell University
Black Knot Fact Sheet – Kearnsey Tree Fruit Research and Education Center, University of West Virginia
Black Knot – Forest Service, US Dept of Agriculture
Apiosporina morbosa – Black Knot – The Mushroom Expert
Causes of Gummosis in Black Cherry – Bradley D. Barnd and Matthe D. Ginzel

What IS That? October 26, 2008

Posted by Jennifer Schlick in fungi, insects, trees.
Tags: Honeydew, Sooty Mold Fungus, Speckled Alder, Wooly Alder Aphid
14 comments

Do you ever walk by stuff and wonder, “What IS that?” The first time I saw this stuff, that is exactly what I wondered:

At this time of year, they are particularly easy to see because many of the leaves have fallen from the trees… specifically from the Speckled Alder (Alnus incana ssp. rugosa). A shrubby tree that loves wet places, we have plenty of these at Audubon. And somebody loves it!

Wooly Alder Aphids (Paraprociphilus tessellatus) can actually be found on one of two host plants – Alder or Silver Maple. At this time of year, though, you will probably see colonies like this only on Alders. I pulled a few off and put them on the palm of my hand. At the bottom left of the mass, you can see a pretty good image of one critter, legs down, facing toward the right, her back covered with the “wool” that gives her the name.

Her? How do I know it’s a female? Well, I think I’m right on this… though the various accounts I find online don’t always jive with one another.

If I’m I’m comprehending what I read, the wingless ones are always female. They can stay on their Alder host all summer and sometimes even through the winter reproducing parthenogenetically. That means females produce eggs which produce more females, with no male needed for fertilization of the egg. The eggs are held inside the body until they hatch, so young emerge from their mothers live. Look at this cute little girl, also in the palm of my hand:

She has only a little “wool” so far!

Now here comes the wild part: When there is an environmental stressor, such as the onset of winter, some eggs will miraculously produce winged individuals that may be either male or female. (OK, there’s probably a scientific explanation… but to me it’s miraculous.) These will fly to Silver Maples where they will mate. Each female will produce one fertilzed egg which will be “glued” to the bark of the tree for overwintering.

Come spring these eggs produce female aphids which find their way to the newly emerging Silver Maple leaves, whose plant juices they eat. They reproduce parthenogenetically building up large numbers of mostly wingless females. Periodically, though, some or all of the offspring manifest wings and fly back to Alders. The generations that live on the Alders don’t target leaves for their meals. Instead, they pierce through the bark on the trunks and branches to access the alder sap.

As if that weren’t fascinating enough, beneath colonies of aphids, you will often find black, sooty spots on the branches. And from these will grow strange, sometimes golden, sometimes black fungi.

These fungi are not attacking the tree – they are purely superficial. They thrive on honeydew – the sweet, concentrated plant sap that is produced by the aphids while they eat.

Which brings us to ants who protect the aphids in exchange for the honeydew… and ladybugs and lacewings that like to eat aphids… and… Oh, what’s that quote about everything’s connected? It’s all so intriguing, isn’t it?

Learn more:

Always Something New October 9, 2008

Posted by Jennifer Schlick in fungi.
5 comments

Took a little stroll around Audubon last week. Nature never ceases to amaze me. You would think after all the different kinds of fungi I have photographed over the last year that by now I would have seen just about every different shape there is.

Not.

It was so delicate and lacy! I haven’t taken the time to look it up. But isn’t it pretty?

Teeth You Can Eat September 30, 2008

Posted by Jennifer Schlick in fungi, wild edibles.
7 comments

I just love it when the experts say that something is widespread and common, yet I have just encountered it for the first time in my half-century-plus lifetime. Such is the case with a couple of fungi I encountered over the weekend.

According to Michael Kuo, “Hericium americanum is North America’s only Hericium species with long spines and a branched fruiting body.”

As I surfed around looking for more information about this one I discovered that it has many common names including Bear’s Head Tooth Fungus, Monkey Head, Lion’s Mane, Pom pon Blanc, and Icicle Mushroom. I also discovered that the scientific name has changed recently and you might find it listed as Hericium coralloides, a name that has now officially been given to a different species – a coral fungus that used to be called Hericium ramosum. Yikes, I think I’m glad I’m NOT a mycologist! (Click here for an interestng article about how and why names change. It’s not related to this fungus, but the story is illustrative!)

There are several Hericium species in the northeast woods. Kuo says that H. americanum is sometimes confused with H. erinaceus. So I began to wonder about this one:

H. americanum is branched, H. erinaceus derives from a single clump. I dunno. What do you think? Is the one above a single clump or branched? The spines (or teeth) are shorter, but I think it is younger, too.

Both are “toothed” fungi, meaning that spores are produced from elongated spines or teeth, rather than from gills or pores as in some other fungi.

All of the Hericium species in North America are edible, so They say, and several species in this genus are cultivated for consumption. Indeed, the Hericium species are reported to be quite easy to cultivate.

Have any of you sunk your teeth into these teeth before? How are they?

Learn more:

P.S. Seabrooke blogged about fungi, too: http://themarvelousinnature.wordpress.com/2008/09/29/fungal-growths/

More Summer Fungi August 20, 2008

Posted by Jennifer Schlick in fungi, hiking, photography.
11 comments

I couldn’t resist going back to the Westside Overland Trail to get some photos of the fungi that I mentioned in a previous post. So last Saturday, I returned. The sun kept peeking out from behind the clouds, so I hoped to be able to get a few decent shots in natural light. I don’t know what any of these are called, but I just had to post them…

All this from a Saturday afternoon walk… And there were several species not pictured here… either too far gone, or too difficult to photograph due to light conditions or location…

This world is so incredibly beautiful and there is such a diversity of life… It takes my breath away.

Summer Fungi August 15, 2008

Posted by Jennifer Schlick in fungi, hiking.
10 comments

I didn’t take my camera last Sunday when I walked a section of the Westside Overland Trail. It was just as well, since it rained all the way out. But as I look back on the hike, I wish I had taken the camera… or that I was as talented as Carolyn, or Toni, or Christine and could sketch, draw, or paint what I saw!

What did I see? Fungi. More kinds than I have ever seen in one day in my life. Orange ones. Yellow ones. Pink, purple, tan, red, brown, black, white… Smooth ones. Bumpy ones. Curly ones. Ones with gills, others without. Shaped like cups. Shaped like balls, parasols, fingers, cheetohs, potato chips…