Sunny Walk Around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir - Fungi

For my nature walk, I chose to walk around the chestnut hill reservoir today after class and really got to notice how in different conditions the diversity of organisms you see in the same place can be completely different. It was a beautiful sunny day around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and clear skies. Last week when I walked around the reservoir in the pouring rain I did not nearly see nearly as many fungi as I did this time because in the rain what stood out most was the animals like the ducks and the swans that I could see from afar. In the sun I saw turtles and ducks as well but I also was able to see so many different shapes, sizes, and colors of fungi that I had never noticed before. I went more into the woods to see if I could find any more fungi that had not been stepped on or damaged by animals and I saw a whole group of perfectly intact yellowish mushrooms, which I found out were northern Honey Fungus, at the base of the tree. On rocks, I noticed 2 different colors of very similar-looking lichen. One bright yellow (the Sunburst Lichen) and another a lime green color (Salted Starburst lichen). It made me wonder why these 2 very similar and nearby fungi had different colors or if these different colors served different purposes for the fungi? I saw a really big white mushroom nearing the end of my walk home and it was cool to see a that was different than the rest I had seen having a flat head instead of a bulb-shaped head. I saw some fungi that looked like orange slime from afar (the wrinkled crust) and I could tell that it was decomposing the tree that had just fallen. Lastly, there was a whole group of turkey tail fungus on a log and at first, I thought this was all 1 organism but now looking at it I can see that this is multiple fungi working with 1 goal to decompose this fallen tree.

Posted on October 6, 2021 11:10 PM by allison427 allison427

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Leopard Earthball (Scleroderma areolatum)

Observer

allison427

Date

October 6, 2021 04:20 PM EDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Wrinkled Crust (Phlebia radiata)

Observer

allison427

Date

October 6, 2021 04:28 PM EDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Northern Honey Fungus (Armillaria borealis)

Observer

allison427

Date

October 6, 2021 04:49 PM EDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Common Sunburst Lichen (Xanthoria parietina)

Observer

allison427

Date

October 6, 2021 04:43 PM EDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Turkey-Tail (Trametes versicolor)

Observer

allison427

Date

October 6, 2021 04:52 PM EDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Typical Shield Lichens (Subfamily Parmelioideae)

Observer

allison427

Date

October 6, 2021 04:54 PM EDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Large White Leucopax (Leucopaxillus albissimus)

Observer

allison427

Date

October 6, 2021 05:01 PM EDT

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