Mushroom Walk with Expert Kem Luther

It’s hard to miss all the fabulous fungi that begin to fruit in the fall. Whether you’re downtown or up at Mt. Work, as we were with Kem Luther, you’re sure to find some!  TLC hosted a Passport to Nature: Mushroom Walk event with Kem (author of “Boundary Layer” which investigates the amazing world of fungi, lichen and moss) to explore the fascinating fungi of the forest. We found so many amazing mushrooms!  The mushroom that we know of is actually the fruiting body of an underground network, called mycelium. When the mycelium decides it’s the right time (temperature and humidity are big factors!) they fruit and up pop the mushrooms! This is their way of sexually reproducing, much like an apple tree growing apples.  Some of the fungi we found are pictured here and include: Fluted Black Elfin Saddle (Helvella vespertina), Orange Milk Cap (Lactarius luculentus), Questionable Stropharia (Stropharia ambigua), Shrimp Mushroom (Russula xerampelina), Fly Agaric (Amanita agaricus), Orange Tooth (Hydnellum aurantiacum), Witch’s Hat (Hygocybe conica), Pancake Mushroom (Leucopaxillus gentianus), Hedgehog Mushroom (Hydnum repandum), Golden Pholiota (Pholiota aurivella), Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum), and the ever-enchantingly named Schweintz’s Butt Rot aka Dyer’s Polypore (Phaeolus schweinitzii). One of the interesting things we learned is that the Elfin Saddle can sometimes be taken over by another fungi (a species of Hypomyces), turning it from a black top to a white top! Pictured here are a cluster of Elfin Saddles where some are black and some are white – double fungi! Thankfully, common names are becoming more popular but sometimes it pays to know your Latin…. Kem told us that Lycoperdon literally means “wolf fart”, which makes sense when you watch these little puffballs puff their spores everywhere! Thanks again Kem and to everyone who joined, we learned so much together.