Happy Fungi Friday! It's already been an eventful fall foraging season here in the woods of western Michigan, USA. Despite not being able to get out into the woods nearly as much as I would have hoped to be able to over the last week, I have already been graced by a bounty of edible fungi, including my biggest haul to date of hen of the woods (Grifola frondosa). Though I didn't officially weigh my entire haul, I would guess that I gathered close to 10 kg of hen of the woods from the base of a single oak tree. Carrying these fruiting bodies out from the heart of the woods without damaging them was no easy task for one person! Even after giving away the majority of these mushrooms to friends and family, I had so much left over for myself that I was forced to purchase a dehydrator so that my collection would not go to waste - probably an overdue purchase given my hobby of collecting edible fungi.
Apart from the hen of the woods, I was able to find several other edible species, including two separate frutings of black-staining polypore (Meripilus sumstinei) growing from the base of a tree just next to the one fruiting the hen of the woods. I also found a chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) that was too old to eat, both red and yellow chanterelles (Genus Cantharellus), Frost's Boletes (Exsudoporus frostii), and more. Given the limited space in my foraging bag after collecting the hen of the woods, I elected to only bring home the chanterelles from among the other edible fungi that I encountered. If this trip to the woods offers any hints as to what this Autumn's foraging season has in store, I anticipate that it will be a bountiful year for mushroom hunters like myself.
Along with the edible fungi, I also came across a wide variety of inedible species as well ranging from the gelatinous white coral jelly fungus (Sebacina sparassoidea) to the miniscule and delicate black-stalked marasmius (Tetrapyrgos nigripes).
I am excited to see what this season has to offer. In one week's time, I will be joining the Michigan Mushroom Hunters Club for their annual Fungus Fest to meet other Midwestern mushroom enthusiasts and hunt with them in the woods just West of Detroit, MI. This will be my first time joining the event, and I will be certain to report back on my experience of the trip. Happy hunting to everyone, and happy Fungi Friday!
Hen of the Woods (Grifola frondosa):
Black-staining Polypore (Meripilus sumstinei):
Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus):
Red Chanterelle (Cantharellus cinnabarinus):
Midwestern Yellow Chanterelle (Cantharellus flavus):
Chicken Fat Mushroom (Suillus americanus):
Frost's Bolete (Exsudoporus frostii):
Purple-and-White Deceiver (Laccaria ochropurpurea):
Boletus variipes:
Pallid Bolete (Imleria pallida):
Crown-tipped Coral Fungus (Artomyces pyxidatus):
Turkey-Tail (Trametes versicolor) [as tea]:
INEDIBLE
White Coral Jelly Fungus (Sebacina sparassoidea):
Yellow-tipped Coral Fungus (Ramaria formosa):
Curry Bolete (Boletus sensibilis):
Yellow American Blusher (Amanita flavorubens):
Blusher (Amanita rubescens):
Brown American Star-footed Amanita (Amanita brunnescens):
Small Funnel-Veil Amanita (Amanita multisquamosa):
Beech Rooter (Oudemansiella furfuracea):
Bleeding Fairy Helmet (Mycena haematopus):
Sharp-scaly Pholiota (Pholiota squarrosoides):
Black-stalked Marasmius (Tetrapyrgos nigripes):
Lumpy Bracket (Trametes gibbosa):
Lactarius psammicola:
Boletus rubroflammeus:
Gyroporus borealis:
[possibly edible due to close relationship to Chestnut bolete (Gyroporus castaneus), but status unknown]
Lanmaoa pseudosensibilis:
Thelephora cuticularis:
Family Psathyrellaceae:
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At first I thought it was weed what kind of bush 🤣