Fungi & Mushrooms

Steve Russell's presentation on fungi and mushrooms was excellent.  Here he is in his morel t-shirt pointing to a slide of the filament-like growth patterns of fungi.

For those who weren't able to attend, here's a recap of the things we learned:

Mushroom identification starts with these five areas:
1)substrate--is the mushroom growing on wood or soil or other mushrooms?
2)spore bearing surface-does the mushroom have gills or spines or pores?
3)spore color-cut off the top and let it rest on a white paper for 3-4 hours.  The spores will drop out.  The color of the spores is an identifying factor.
4)gill attachment to the top and stem
5)other features--is there a volva or egg sac?  Is there a ring around the stem?  Does the mushroom bruise a particular color?  Does the mushroom exude latex?

Some of the edible species that Steve mentioned include:
Morels, Chicken of the woods, Chanterelles, Boletes, Oysters, Hen of the Woods, Lion's Mane, Cauliflower Mushrooms, and Puffballs.

Remember to cook all wild mushrooms. Enjoy your explorations and observations of fungi!

The Hoosier Mushroom Society can be reached at http://www.hoosiermushrooms.org/.