We will try to ID your mushrooms here

[Geoff]

I found several of these mushroooms clustered together in a conifer/pine forest, sandy soil. I tried collecting the spore deposit, but I feel I did something wrong??? After leaving the cap under a glass, half of it on white paper, half of it on black, I had collected no spores after 3 hours. Checking it this morning however, it had left a black residue on the white paper where a damaged section of the mushroom had been laying (Are these the spores? I am a beginner). Its diameter is aprox. 5 cm and it stood about 10 cm off the ground. It is creamy white in colour with shades of light brown on the top. It has true gills which are very thin.

In order to be able to stand a decent chance of IDing these, you need to supply a cross-section photo. It is crucial to be able to see exactly how the gills are attached to the stem. Also, always try smelling the mushroom. The smell is not always distinctive, but if it is, then it can make identification a lot easier.

Oddly enough, these also look like Collybia maculata - younger ones. But there's other things they could also be.

[markpeace]

Hi,

I've found these big clusters of bracket fungus growing on the base of a tree. I think they're Hen of the Woods (Grifola Frondosa), but I'm a bit of a novice; whatcha think?

Cheers,
Mark.

[Hedgehogpie]

Certainly looks good - the tree is a Beech, yes?

[markpeace]

Yep. I'm having doubts over whether it's actually Giant Polypore, now; but it looks to me like the fronds are thinner and more 'bushy'

[livesake]

found this and a few more in my yard they were NOT in a circle but in full sun, measures 4 1/2 inches wide some are smaller and a few are larger. this is a pic of one that is approx 1 week old, i picked it today to see what it is( I am still lost) as to whether it is
Macrolepiota procera: The Parasol Mushroom OR Chlorophyllum molybdites, which has the common names of false parasol or green-spored parasol, i sure hope it is the good one, it smells good, the gills are firmly attached to the cap the stem redily came free
thank you for any info
grandpamargaret@gmail.com

[livesake]

OOPS sorry i forgot the pics, here they are ( link to them)


http://2pmbfa.blu.livefilestore.com/y1p ... JPG?psid=1


http://2pmbfa.blu.livefilestore.com/y1p ... JPG?psid=1

[kit-e-kate]

Hiya, The best way to check is to take a spore print;
Cut the cap off one mid aged specimen. Take a sheet of black/dark paper and a sheet of white paer and put them side by side. Place the cap (gills down) on the join between the two bits of paper and cover the cap with a glass (or big bowl if its too big for a glass). Leave it for a few hours. Check the paper. If the spore pattern is white, then Yipee! Its a parasol. If its green, then Boo Hiss! Its a false parasol.
HTH
Kate

[purplemaf]

Hi probably an easy one for you but just wanted to know what this is. Suddenly appeared in our garden.

http://i38.tinypic.com/1zw2ems.jpg
http://i33.tinypic.com/2z85389.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/2eyx9nm.jpg

Thanks

[Northern Boy]

What do y'all think about this?

I thought I'd finally found some Wood Hedgehogs (Hydnum repandum) but when I turned them over they looked more like Terracotta's (Hydnum rufuscens). I thought they were Woods because of the colour, but everything else (stem thickness, gills not going down stem) says Terracotta. What do you think? I suspect colour is the least reliable indicator.

Might they be something else? I can't find anything obvious!

Sorry the pic is a bit blurred, my camera packed up

NB

[samsjubblies]

Hello. We have some mushrooms growing on the grass outside our house. Could someone tell me if they are edible? Many thanks Sam

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[gregorach]

@samsjubblies: those are what are known in the trade as "little brown mushrooms" (LBMs). There are lots of species, many of which are extremely difficult to positively identify, even for a mycologist with specimens right in front of him/her. It's possible that they're "edible" (in as much as they won't actually make you sick), but it's equally possible that they aren't. Either way, there's not enough eating in them to make it worth worrying about. Most experienced mushroom foragers completely ignore LBMs, as they're far more trouble than they're worth. Leave well alone would be my advice.

[samsjubblies]

Thats Great, thank you :-)

[Carltonian Man]

@samsjubblies: those are what are known in the trade as "little brown mushrooms" (LBMs). There are lots of species, many of which are extremely difficult to positively identify, even for a mycologist with specimens right in front of him/her. It's possible that they're "edible" (in as much as they won't actually make you sick), but it's equally possible that they aren't. Either way, there's not enough eating in them to make it worth worrying about. Most experienced mushroom foragers completely ignore LBMs, as they're far more trouble than they're worth. Leave well alone would be my advice.

Fully agree Dunc. They could be members of the coprinus family http://www.flickr.com/photos/30257481@N03/3518188790

PS Hi SJ and welcome to ish. Why not pop into the welcome page and say hello

[gregorach]

Yeah, one of the coprinoids (probably a parasola) would be my first guess, but that's all it would be - a guess. I tend to have a rule to never "positively" ID a mushroom on the basis of photographs unless it's one of the really obvious ones. Far too much scope for dangerous mistakes... LBMs I don't consider positively ID'd even with the thing in my hand, a spore print, and a copy of Roger Phillips. I'm nowhere near that expert.

[Big Al]

Found in a local park in one of the flower beds. About 8 in total of wich this is one. http://www.flickr.com/photos/29271961@N ... 050225729/