Young hericium erinaceus (lions mane, bearded tooth). This photo makes it look larger than the fist size it actually is. Eventually it will be much larger.
Ron was trimming brush at the edge of our yard today when I noticed something white in a tree out back. On closer inspection, it proved to be a young bearded tooth mushroom. It was WAY up in the tree. There’s no way I could get it to turn it into tonight’s cuisine. 🙂
The mushroom tree. The white spot is not the mushroom in the header photo. It’s much higher up–way out of reach!
The funny thing is, the tree looked healthy from the yard and I was curious why a mushroom was growing on it. But when I got out there, I found that it has a huge hollow inside. So that explains how the tree was weakened.
And just so the non-mushroom lovers aren’t too grossed out, I’ll include a photo of cute little wildflowers that were growing beneath the mushroom tree. 🙂
The others are photos of some of the mushrooms I’ve found over the past week. I haven’t had time to do any serious study, but I have them all identified as to genus but two. I’ll worry about narrowing their IDs down when I have the time.
A photo for non-mushroom lovers! 🙂
This is one I can’t get narrowed down to genus. It has a beige spore print that doesn’t fit anything in my books.
View from the bottom. All I’m sure of it that it’s a bolete.
This is a suillus.
An amanita
Amanita – view from bottom
This is another one I’m unsure of. (A guy on my mushroom board identified it as Chalciporus piperatus the Peppery Bolete.)
The pinkish pore surface stumps me
Tinycamper's Blog 
cozybegone
/ July 27, 2013I keep looking around here and nothing, maybe I dont look hard enough. Hwy, the two inch pull out worked perfect!
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tinycamper
/ July 27, 2013Usually you walk all around them and don’t see them. You pretty much just have to wander around looking at the area around your feet. Sometimes you’ll spot them; other times they just aren’t there. It’s what makes it fun — like an Easter egg hunt!
So glad the extra elbow room helped. I am so used to rolling over in increments now instead of just flopping over that it’s automatic now. I even do it in my bed at home! 😀
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EmilyO
/ July 27, 2013I maybe missed this way, way in past postings, but what created the interest in mushrooms? I have a friend of a friend here who likes (loves in my book) mushrooms and he is out looking when he can.
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tinycamper
/ July 27, 2013Emily, I detailed how my initial interest in edible mushrooms evolved here: https://tinycamper.wordpress.com/playing-with-fire-primitive-skills/
At first, my only interest in identifying them was so I wouldn’t poison myself.
After that, I just got more and more fascinated by photographing and identifying them. That’s actually my greatest pleasure now. Of course, when I find a treasure trove of wonderful edibles, that’s the ultimate payoff! 🙂
It’s an addictive thing… once you start trying to identify them, you get hooked on finding out as much as you can about those strange, quirky little life forms.
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nancy1340
/ July 29, 2013I sure wish I had someone in the DFW area to teach me about mushrooms.
We had a bunch come up in the yard that look like the ones in Central Market that go for a bunch of dollar bills. LOL
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tinycamper
/ July 29, 2013Nancy, I was going to suggest that you do a search for a mushroom club in your area. But I went ahead and ran one and didn’t find anything in the DFW area. I did find one in Houston. And one in Newton, TX (wherever that is). 🙂
If you want a recommendation for the best beginner book, I would suggest Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America by David Fischer and Alan Bessette. If you carefully follow their guidelines, it’s the safest introduction to wild edible mushrooms that I know of. But you have to be willing to take your time and match every single one of their identification keys..
Thinking a mushroom is safe because it looks like one in the store can get you in big trouble. Or dead. 🙂
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nancy1340
/ July 29, 2013Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I’ve been searching for a club for 5-6 years. I think there is one in Austin but that’s way to far.
I would never “try” a mushroom without someone with knowledge to check with even after identifing it. I think I have that book here but if not I’ll order it.
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