https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/240236718
I found this pair of Bald Knight mushrooms while I was playing disc golf on the sixth of September. I wanted to use a mushroom as my iNaturalist post because I don't know much about them and doing entries like this is a great excuse to dig a little deeper and learn more about them. This pair was located in a small patch of grass and clover in an area that receives partial sun.
This species of mushroom can be hard to identify because it has many variations of its defining characteristics. Generally, the Bald Knight mushroom has a 2-8cm convex cap which can be dark brow fading sometimes to a greyish color, it will have a 2-8cm long stipe (stem or stalk) which is similar in color. There seems to be lots of conflicting information if there is one species with several small differences such as "not having a pruinose cap, stem not coarsely striate, and having white stem flesh" or if there are two completely separate species there are several shared, varying, characteristics. This particular mushroom is found in Europe and North America. When it comes to cooking and eating mushrooms I am always hesitant, in the case of the Bald Knight there is some confusion when it comes to identifying this mushroom, however, the other fungi that look similar to this one all happen to be edible. They are described as having a mild odor and taste. Looking on iNaturalist it looks as though there have been 4 other reports of people finding the Bald Knight in Alaska with mine being the fifth.
Citation:
“Bald Knight (Melanoleuca Melaleuca).” iNaturalist, www.inaturalist.org/taxa/351522-Melanoleuca-melaleuca. Accessed 6 Sept. 2024.
Comments
I love how you mentioned that you don't know much about mushrooms but wanted to use them for iNaturalist because it allows you to learn about them. I also really liked that you mentioned that you found them in an area that receives partial sun because from what little I know about mushrooms, the sun is a big factor in where they grow. I personally have never heard of this kind of mushroom before so I really appreciate being able to learn a bit about them. It's also really amazing to see that you are only one in five people to have seen these in Alaska, at least on here. All of this makes me want to learn more about them!
I also don't know a lot about mushrooms so I am happy you shared this with us and hopefully share more. I am also interested in learning more about mushrooms, which ones to harvest, and the dishes you can make with them. It is a little intimidating though because like you mentioned, it can be hard to identify them. I can agree that iNaturalist is a good platform for people like you and I to learn more about this information. I wonder if this mushroom specifically grows in areas where there is only partial sun and if that is where they function best.
This is great observation, I also don't know a lot about fungi so it was interesting to read more about them. I had never heard of this specific species so thanks for sharing! I thought that this being the 5th observation of Bald Knight mushrooms in Alaska at least on iNaturalist was really cool too. I haven't been mushroom foraging much, mainly because they are hard to ID, so I agree that I am hesitant to cook and eat them. I have harvested chicken of the woods before, but that is because it is very identifiable. However, there are many fungi species that are totally not easily identified.
This is a very informative journal and a very fascinating organism, I've seen a lot of mushrooms in Alaska over my life time and never really bothered to look into what they actually are. I might have to seek some mushrooms out for my next journal to learn something new outside of just the usual Alaskan plants and animals. I think I've seen this species growing nearby my parent's house in Eagle River Alaska but it could very well be a similar species since I am not a great at identifying mushrooms. It doesn't look very appetizing to eat but it is interesting that it can be consumed if you identify it correctly. I imagine it tries to blend in with it's dull color as to not be eaten or try to resemble similar species that are poisonous. I also love the name of this species, it fits so well and I just love species with fun names like this, it shows that scientists can be whimsical too.
Nice Journal entry, Izak! Also, nice job using iNaturalist itself for your research! iNaturalist, as you have discovered, is a great resource that can provide lots of information about a species, and not just in terms of identification, although it can be quite helpful for that, too. One thing to consider with fungi, is that often the way the underside of the cap is structured can help in identification, so attempting to get a photo of the underside of a mushroom's cap is a good idea.
Lastly, unless you are 100% sure what a mushroom is, don't harvest it to eat!
Thanks!
Professor Brooke
While working on the pier in downtown Juneau on an extremely rainy day my co-workers and I stumbled across a little mushroom. It was growing on the side of a barrel of flowers. However, the following week when we had sun it shriveled up. I wonder after seeing your observations if it could only survive on partial sun. I’m curious to find out more thank you for inspiring that search! I also wanted to comment on the edible level of mushrooms overall. I think it is very hard to do so due to the many varieties of species such as when mushrooms look suspicious they can often be edible while others that look innocent can’t be eaten. An example of this would be the puff mushroom!
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