Over 14,000 species of mushrooms have been identified. They are quite prolific, occurring in just about all habitats. But they prefer the dark and damp areas on or near the ground where lots of dead and rotting food exists. Some can grow 6 inches in a night. (In one end-of-the-earth scenario, as the sun dies out, fungi take over the planet as all plant and animal life dies.) So to hunt for mushrooms, one must go to the wet, wooded areas. In South Florida most forests are very wet 6 months a year and damp the rest of the year. My goal was to see and photograph as many species as possible. Collecting them to eat is a dangerous undertaking, so I’m going to use the Precautionary Principal here which states, “The chances of eating a poisonous mushroom are small, but the results are catastrophic… severe illness or death”. So I’ll just shoot them with my camera.
If I could shoot the famous “Angel of Death” mushroom, my goal would be exceeded. The Angel of Death is responsible for 95% of all mushroom fatalities in the US. It is almost all white, and similar in size and shape to the edible white mushrooms one finds in the produce section of your supermarket. The poison responsible for the fatalities is a pair of peptides called amatoxins that work by inhibiting protein synthesis. Initial symptoms occur in six to eight hours after eating the mushroom and begin with severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. These symptoms soon pass, but within 48 hours the toxins begin doing extreme damage to the liver and kidney. In 1988 a Korean immigrant living in Washington State accidentally fed her family Death Angel mushrooms. The family survived, but four of the five had to undergo liver transplants. So, off I went to a couple local forested county parks that were close to the Myakka River. The morning mists from the river should provide additional moisture and possibly provide an abundant hunting ground. Five minutes down the trail, I spotted my first mushroom of the day. It was low to the ground with a cap about 3 inches in diameter.
Dirty Tricholoma
My M.O. was to take several photographs of each different species and then ID it when I got back home, with the help of the PC, internet, and a Mushroom Field Guide I had bought. Of course this turned out to be a much harder task than I had thought. Obviously, the size, shape, edge (or margin) and color of the cap are important. But there is much more to it. The underneath part of the cap (commonly called gills, but officially “Lamellae”) needs to be exposed. Next the stem or “stype” needs to be uprooted, so that the entire length can be seen, bisected and characterized. Of course this kills the little fellow, which is against my ecophilosophy, so I tried to skip this part… instead photographing as close as possible. The first mushroom turned out to be a Dirty Tricholoma…. edible, tasty and common.
Next I saw another low growing mushroom with a pinkish tint and gills exposed along the margin, later ID’d as a poisonous Pure Mycena.
Pure Mycena
Nearby was a patch of very interesting parasol mushrooms. I have been unable to ID them, but instead, I’ll just call them what they look like.
Parasol Mushrooms
Another patch contained multiple Two Colored Agarics .
Two Colored Agarics
Shaggy Inkcap
All of the above species belong to the general classification of “gilled mushrooms” or Agaricales, which includes the common grocery store white mushroom. But there is so much more to the Fungi Kingdom. A very common category of fungi present in all forests is the Polypores (officially Aphyllophorales). Polypores are a group of tough, leathery mushrooms, typically lacking a distinct stalk. Polypores are often found on rotting logs and tree trunks. They are slow-growing and quite rot-resistant themselves. During the day was able to ID the following Polypores.
Hoof Fungus
Shaggy Polypore
Artists Fungus
Tobacco Brown Hymenochaete
Another, even more unusual form of life that grows almost everywhere, is the Lichen. It can be found in the arctic, in the desserts, in coastal areas and tropical forests. It grows on rocks, on the ground and on trees and plants. Lichen is actually a combination of fungus and plant, from two different Kingdoms! They exist in a symbiotic association, with the fungus providing water retention and protection, while the plant, usually algae, provides nutrition for both partners through photosynthesis. I didn’t have to go very far to spot a variety of these guys. Even more difficult than mushrooms to ID, I contented myself with classifying them according to their growth form. The most common are the crutose, or paint like lichens. Very conspicuous on trees and rocks, and in a variety of colors, they appear as if someone had marked the trail with a paint brush.
White Lichen
Baton Rouge Lichen
Folious or leafy lichens have a scaly appearance. Filamentous lichens are hairy, and the fruiticose form has a branched growth characteristic.
Folious Lichen
Filementous Lichen
Fruitous Lichen
“Lichens are not parasites; they do not consume any part of the plant nor poison it…. Because lichens do not possess roots, their primary source of most nutritional elements is the air, and therefore elemental levels in lichens often reflect the accumulated composition of ambient air. The processes by which atmospheric deposition occurs include fog and dew, gaseous absorption, and dry deposition. Consequently, many environmental studies with lichens emphasize their feasibility as effective biomonitors of atmospheric quality.” (from Wikipedia) In other words, they are like the canary in the mine. If the lichens are healthy and vital, then the air is too.
Unfortunately, the infamous “Angel of Death” mushroom eluded me that day. Later I learned that it inhabits primarily the Pacific Northwest. So I’ll have to wait until I get out there. But here’s a shot of them from the internet.
Angel of Death (Aminita Ocreata)
Don’t pick this one!
