Life on the Outer Coast

A few more Fungi

Thursday the 4th was the third class of the mushroom identification workshop, so had a good reason to go collecting instead of spending the entire day in the lab packing biology lab kits.

Collected along the lower part of Gavan trail, the cemetary, Starrigavan, Totem park and Halibut pt rec. area. Didn't spend much time at any spot, because I wanted to see what sort of variety of fungi were available and I had limited time available.

Found Lactarius rufus along the Gavan trail, just townward of the small almost fen-like muskeg with the domestic Spiraea. It looked a bit larger than what I had seen previously, so I foolishly tasted it. Suffice it to say that it was intensely hot and peppery.

The mushrooms were less abundant than the last time I looked along the trail. Most of the Russulas and Lactarius were either too far gone or too immature. I did pick up a very large Cortinarius. The rusty brown spore print was about 4 inches in diameter. The stem was fairly even in thickness and had a few rusty colored fibrils just above the middle. The cap was somewhat viscid, but the stem was not. I haven't come up with a satisfactory species name yet for this one.

Found several Clitopilus prunulus in the grass near the Sitka spruce lining the cemetary road. They seem to be pretty abundant this year. The compactness of this species when immature is striking. Okay, it isn't unusual for something young to be small, but still they were an interesting form.

Amanita muscaria, both yellow and red forms, were growing at the base of several Sitka Spruce along the west side of the cemetary.

Carried on the Starrigavan and HPR. Collected a selection of Russula, Lactarius deliciosus, a Cortinarius or two, Amanita vaginata, Hydnum umbilicatum, H. repandum, Pholiota flammans (HPR), and Coprinus atramentarius. The Coprinus was growing on the woodchips on the path near the parking lot at Mosquito Cove.

I had plenty to share with folks, but the class was significantlly enriched by the nice variety of fungi that Jen and Vicki brought to class. Vicki collected from Skagway and Jen locally.
Jen brought Helvella lacunosa, Leccinum scabrum, Hydnellum suavavolens, Pholiota flammans, and several Russula and Cortinarius spp.



Vicki brought in Hydnelllum peckii, Amanita muscaria (yellow), another Hydnaceae that I dried for later, a bright yellow Russula looking mushroom, Sarcodon imbrictus and Phaeolepiota aurea.

I've seen Sarcodon imbricatus in Kelp Bay and near Hidden Falls, but don't remember seeing it on the outside coast. Could be here though.
Rich Philips has collected Phaeolepiota aurea from Green Lake Rd. and I've found it in Kelp bay.


Phaeolepiota aurea



Sarcodon imbricatus