Does anyone read these? Euro Mycoblitz fall 2023 19th - 29th October
https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/projects/mycoblitz-europe-fall-2023
Contact me if you want join a foray
https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/projects/mycoblitz-europe-fall-2023
Contact me if you want join a foray
YouTube video giving tips on what photos to take for fungi
https://youtu.be/RZY95JeGjY8
I’ve made some short clips focussing on Fungi in Australia.
Feel free to give me good or bad feedback and any ideas for new videos using iNaturalist
Part 1 iPhone application
https://youtu.be/CH5g4ww5l7g
Part 2 website browser
https://youtu.be/EuqwHxFEECY
Sharing this post I made for the Australian mushroom hunters Facebook group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/AustralianWildMushroomHunters/
These tips are intended as a guide rather than a rule, while we do try to answer all ID requests some are more easily recognisable than others and providing all the info you can will ensure you have the best chance of recieving an ID and a correct ID.
Bonus points - Smell, taste and staining reactions
It’s not always required but definitely handy to add these features to your ID checklist. Tasting mushrooms like Russula and Lactarius can quickly tell you something about the mushroom to help with ID. Smelling an Agaricus will also tell you something. Staining for boletes is almost essential.
Smell - take it easy, take gentle smells (if that makes sense 🤣), cut or damage the flesh/squash the stem, rub the cap, these actions can all provoke smells, even cooking or microwaving can be handy in the case of differentiating Agaricus. Smells to look for are sweet, almond/marzipan, anise, mushroomy, spicy/peppery, floral, foul/fishy or maybe it smells spermatic. Yes that is a describing smell used for some fungi
Taste - it’s perfectly safe to taste and spit any mushroom with one exception being Podostroma cornu-damae the fire coral - *I’m not certain if you will get a reaction from a taste test but it’s not one I would recommend.
Take a piece of mushroom in your mouth, chew and move around your tongue. Describe any taste, it could be mild, bitter, spicy/hot, acrid, fishy, plain/bland. It’s handy to have a bottle of water in the event of tasting a spicy Russula.
Staining (and exudation)- probably the most important when it comes to Agaricus and Boletes but certainly for others; the colour, rate of reaction and location of reaction can all help to distinguish between closely resembled species. Scratch or bruise the cap/pileus, press on pores for Boletes or cut/damage gills/lamellae (this may show a latex exuding from the cut gills, or a colour reaction) Cut a cross section, this is important and should be covered in an ID anyway but cut the mushroom lengthways through the middle of the cap and stem all the way to the base. In all cases it’s good to observe the staining over time, some may present later (up to ten minute) some may change ( in the case of some Boletes for example it may bruise blue first and end up grey or black or disappear completely back to flesh colour) some may be one colour in the cap and another in the stem. Pressing on the pores of some Boletes may yield you a blue reaction but also, pink or brown
I hope this helps and isn’t too long to read. Remember it’s ok to pick a mushroom for ID but please don’t pick baskets full if you are not sure and observe any local laws for example national parks are only accessible with permits. Wait for confirmation of ID and do your own research before consuming any wild mushroom.