Spring Mushrooms of Chester County--an unofficial guide

Spring Mushrooms of Chester County -- An Unofficial Guide

2013-06-14 Gordon Natural Area, West Chester University South Campus

2013-06-14 Gordon Natural Area, West Chester University South Campus

Red Raspberry Slime.  Transparent mass becoming whitish to red, then brown, producing red, raspberry-like forms, turning purplish, then glossy brown and cigar-like.  (National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms)

Red Raspberry Slime.

This appears to be a Marasmius mushroom, but I'm unable to make positive identification on the type of Marasmius mushroom.   Further investigation needed.

Emetic Russula (emergent).

Crown-tipped Coral.  Many-branched, yellowish coral with crownlike tips; on wood.  Edible.  One of the few corals that grow directly on wood, it is easy to recognize because it has boxlike (pyxidate) branches, a somewhat pepper taste, and amyloid spores. (National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms)

Crown-tipped Coral.

Red Raspberry Slime.

Tree Ear (Wood Ear).

Tree Ear (Wood Ear).

2013-05-22 Gordon Natural Area, West Chester University South Campus

2013-05-22 Gordon Natural Area, West Chester University South Campus

Turpentine Waxy Cap.  Slimy, pinkish-buff cap with white to pinkish-tinged gills descending dry, white to pinkish-tinged stalk; odor resinous.  Edible.  Taste turpentinelike.  The cooked mushroom is palatable.  (National Audubon Society FieldGuide to North American Mushrooms)

Orange Mycena (emergent).  Sticky, shiny, orange mushroom with reddish-orange gill edges; clustered on wood.  (National Audubon Society FieldGuide to North American Mushrooms)

Kidney-shaped Tooth.  Kidney-shaped, tough, thin, tan cap with short, brownish spines.  On logs and fallen branches of oak and other deciduous trees.  This species is often found in small clusters with fused caps, and is readily recognized by its pale color and tough, thin caps.  (National Audubon Society FieldGuide to North American Mushrooms)

Kidney-shaped Tooth.  (underside)

Kidney-shaped Tooth. (underside; closeup)

Turkey-tail.

Orange Mycena and Carbon Balls.

Platterful Mushrooms.  Brownish-gray cap with radial fibers, white gills, and stalk with white cords.  Edible with caution.  Single to several, on or about deciduous logs, stumps, wood debris; also on buried wood.  It is one of the first large, fleshy, gilled mushrooms to appear in the spring and is common throughout June and July.  It is edible when very young and is generally considered safe, although a few instances of gastric upset have occurred.  (National Audubon Society FieldGuide to North American Mushrooms)

Red Cushion Hypoxylon.  Round; salmon-pink, becoming brick red, then blackening.  Usually in swarms, on bark of dead or dying beeches.  (National Audubon Society FieldGuide to North American Mushrooms)  (Beech trees are common in the Gordon Natural Area.)

Common Mycena (and a half-eaten Platterful Mushroom).  Brownish to grayish, bell-shaped cap with grayish gills and stalk; in clusters on decaying wood.  (National Audubon Society FieldGuide to North American Mushrooms)

Common Brown Cup.  Very common large, stalkless, brown cup.  Edible.  Often irregularly shaped and resembles a discarded piece of rubber.  It is edible when cooked.  (National Audubon Society FieldGuide to North American Mushrooms)

Common Brown Cup.

2013-05-11 Gordon Natural Area, West Chester University South Campus

2013-05-11 Gordon Natural Area, WCU South Campus

Turkey-tail.  Usually overlapping, small, leathery, thin, stalkless caps with many multicolored zones, alternating hairy and smooth, and with white to yellow pores.  May-Dec., sometimes reviving and persisting several seasons.  On dead deciduous wood or in wounds; also on conifers.  Throughout North America.  (Audubon Society Guide to North American Mushrooms)

Turkey-tail.

Golden Jelly Cone.  Small, golden, gelatinous, conelike cups.  1/16"-1".  (Audubon Society Guide to North American Mushrooms)

Golden Jelly Cone.

Golden Jelly Cone.

Turkey-tail.

Turkey-tail.

Turkey-tail.

Turkey-tail.

Turkey-tail.

Turkey-tail.

Turkey-tail.

Turkey-tail.

Turkey-tail.

Tree Ear.  Large, brownish, rubbery, ear-shaped.  1-6" wide.  Edible.  Also known as the "Wood Ear." (Audubon Society Guide to North American Mushrooms)

Tree Ear