izakm's Journal

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.

I found what I believe to be a Sheathed Woodtruft mushroom growing very close to the Egan library in Juneau this morning while walking to Class. One of the reasons I chose this for my second iNaturalist post is because although I walk through that area almost every day I hadn't noticed it until today. Sheathed Woodtufts are commonly found growing out of stumps, logs, and decaying wood which in the case of the colony I found holds. They are native to much of the world, including austrial, Asia, North America, and Europe (from Iceland through Scandinavia). The typical Sheathed Woodtuft colony will have 3-8cm convex caps with gills that are decurrent (running down the stem) which if you look closely at my second photo you can see. Sometimes the stipe (stem) will measure around 8-10cm in length and around 0.5-1cm in diameter, you also might find that they have a collar time called a boot that will separate the lighter smother from the darker scalier section of the stipe.

Mushrooms can sometimes be difficult to identify definitively even more so if, like in the case of the colony that I found, it is late in its growing cycle and is preparing itself for spore release and the decay of its fruiting bodies-(section of mushrooms that are visible). There is another kind of mushroom that closely resembles the Woodtuft called Galerina marginata which is sometimes called The Funeral Bell a deadly lookalike. The easiest way to tell the two species apart is their stems.

Citation:
"Kuehneromyces mutabilis, Sheathed Woodtuft mushroom." 10 Sept. 2024, www.first-nature.com/fungi/kuehneromyces-mutabilis.php.
"Sheathed Woodtuft (Kuehneromyces mutabilis)." iNaturalist, 10 Sept. 2024, www.inaturalist.org/taxa/153033-Kuehneromyces-mutabilis.
"Two Toned Treat – The Sheathed Woodtuft." Mushroom Diary - UK Wild Mushroom Hunting Blog, 7 Aug. 2015, www.mushroomdiary.co.uk/2011/09/sheathed-woodtuft.

In the spirit of continuing to learn and share more about the mushroom world my week 3 iNaturalist post showcases of the Apricot Jelly. While out on a walk I came across this small colony of pink and fleshy mushrooms. My initial thought was that this was some variant of the "seudohydnum gelatinosum"(Toothed Jelly Fungus), commonly known as the toothed cat fungus or cat tongue, because of its similar structure and feel.

Apricot Jellys are known to grow all over the North American hemisphere with some instances found in South America (Apricot Jelly). As I've now discovered to be common among mushrooms, these are most often found growing out of decaying wood (Apricot Jelly). This colony however was found next to a footpath in a shaded area, with lots of cover and wet land surrounding it. The fruit bodies are very flexible and are typically 10cm in length and can grow up to 17cm wide, though the ones that I found are considerably smaller (Apricot Jelly). The top side of these mushrooms are sterile and appears slightly verrucose due to the crowding nature of their hyphae (-form the body of fungi and are subject to lots of branching)(Apricot Jelly, Hyphae in Fungi) . These Fungi are edible and from what I have found have a rubbery texture and bland taste, older mushrooms are reported to be tough and indigestible (Guepinia helvelloides, Salmon Salad fungus). They can be eaten raw, pickled, or candied. Next time I see them I might just have to harvest a couple (Guepinia helvelloides, Salmon Salad fungus)! ....As long as I am absolutely sure they are what I think they are of course!

"Toothed Jelly Fungus (Pseudohydnum gelatinosum)." iNaturalist, 18 Sept. 2024, www.inaturalist.org/taxa/54164-Pseudohydnum-gelatinosum. Access date Sept 16, 2024
"Apricot Jelly (Guepinia helvelloides)." iNaturalist, 18 Sept. 2024, www.inaturalist.org/taxa/348814-Guepinia-helvelloides. Access date Sept 16, 2024
"Hyphae in Fungi | Definition, Function & Types - Lesson | Study.com." Study, 18 Sept. 2024, study.com/academy/lesson/hyphae-definition-function-types.html. Access date Sept 16, 2024
"Guepinia helvelloides, Salmon Salad fungus." 18 Sept. 2024, www.first-nature.com/fungi/guepinia-helvelloides.php. Accsess date Sept 16, 2024