Here is another #mushroommonday on a Tuesday lol. I was out in the boondocks without any internet access hunting for mushrooms yesterday so I have to post them today.
I found a ton of golden oysters up in Wisconsin for the longer three day weekend.
This area of Wisconsin is right next to the border of Iowa along the edge of the Mississippi River. It is very rural out here with tiny little towns of 100-800 people every now and then along the highway.
I found quite a few on a state wildlife area where hunting and trapping is allowed. For me I just wanted to hunt for mushrooms and bird photos.
I have grown these golden oysters at home from a kit but have never encountered them in the wild.
They were all over the place starting from the pinning stage.
Some were just starting to from a bright orange cap.
Then there were quite a few large bunches ready for harvest.
I peeled a few clumps off to bring home and cook.
Always check the gills. Oysters have gills that run down the stem. The golden oysters tend to be a bit more fragile and less tough than the white summer oysters where you can't even eat the stem because they are too spongy. The main difficulty will be to pick off all the bark and dirt to get them ready to cook.
While I was harvesting I got the feeling that something was watching me. Then I saw this large black snake staring at me. He kept very still and let me bring the phone right next to his face for a shot. I think this might be a young black rat snake. He was solid black on top with a white underbelly. He was probably hunting for field mice or chipmunks.
Beautiful mushrooms! They look like a kind of flowers. That plastic snake looks too green! Try painting another softer colour to make it look cute!
The snake does look plastic, he was really shiny, probably just molted. I also got a picture of a tiny garter snake about to molt with blue gray skin over his eyes.
Oh! You have got to show that snake too! How come you attract snakes! LoL
Really nice mushrooms and the snake looks so scary. Your photography is awesome!
He was just a small sized rat snake, they are not poisonous but they do get big eventually, as long as a human is tall. I have a few more mushroom finds for this #fungifriday.
Mushrooms are very extraordinary,The color is very beautiful.
You also find a caterpillar that scares us when we enter the forest.
That's what I'm afraid of when I go into the forest looking for fungi and insects.
Because we can't see them hiding under the thick grass.
This guy is not poisonous at all, though if you catch him he will probably poop/pee on you as a defense mechanism.
Yeah,But for me it's scary.
wow gold oyster mushroom looks very attractive and from the appearance of the mushroom looks elegant and cool.
They tasted great. I cooked them with basil leaves and it really brought out their flavor.
Mushrooms are beautiful... and the snake looks green. Or it glows off the grass.
Have you seen my snake?;)
Yeah the snake was really shiny and caught reflection of the grass. I thought about catching it but didn't want to get pooped on.
ahahah :)