OT Mushrooms

[John T]

These are some of my lifes unanswered questions and I expect as many opinions as we get to "What spark plug should I use?" I found a small mess this AM when mowing near a woods line I almost mowed them down.........

1) Do mushroms grow once they pop up and if so at what rate???????

2) Seems like I never find one where theres not at least a few more nearby, is there an underground root sort of system or what??

3) Seems like a good spot one year yields mushrooms the following year, why is that?? The root system referred to above??

4) Other then a dead elm tree, where are good places to look?? I never find many in deep clean leaf areas but maybe a lil grass or brushy area, that cuz theres shade m more moisture n fungus there???

A curious Ol John T in Indiana

 

[patiolant]

Mushrooms are the fruiting body of a fungus, with the rest (a root-like system known as mycelium) growing underground or in rotting trees, or in some cases in a symbiotic relationship with some types of plants, or a few as a parasite on a living plant. The mushroom tends to pop up and grow quickly, produce spores, and then die back quickly (how long it will last above ground depends on the type of mushroom). The underground mycelium can spread widely, which is why you often find a lot of mushrooms of one type in the same area, and at the same spot year after year. Some of these underground networks are huge and can cover very large areas (several square miles in a few cases), but are all still one organism. If you have ever found some of the small brown mushrooms that grow in a circle on your lawn (known as fairy ring mushrooms), they grow in a circle because the underground network expands out each year in search of new nutrients. Therefore, the ring of mushrooms will get a little wider each year. Some of these fairy rings are estimated to be over 600 years old.

And you're right that most types of mushrooms really prefer to pop up in shady or moist areas (mushroom hunting is best after a decent rainfall).

If you plan on eating wild mushrooms, just make absolutely certain of exactly what kind they are first. A few people die every year eating poisonous mushrooms, and many of the poisonous types are difficult to distinguish from non-poisonous if you don't know what to look for. For a few types of mushrooms like the Destroying Angel and the Death Cap, eating only a very small portion of one mushroom can be fatal.

The Audubon Society puts out a really informative field guide to mushrooms for any one who is interested, and it really helps in learning how to identify mushrooms correctly.

 

[bill mart]

Very nice response, Probably the most informative I've seen in a while.Thank you, Bill M.

 

[GeneMO]

Well it was 45 degrees in central MO. today. It has been too danged cold I think. I have found 4 danged mushrooms. I saw it was supposed to snow in parts of Nebraska and Kansas last night I think.

Wonder why Al Gore hasn't been giving many global warming speaches in the midwest this winter?


Gene

 

[Coltond202]

Wish I knew where they were hiding in the woods. The grocerie is paying 15 dollars a pound for morrels. Dad found 1 yesterday.

 

[Dave BN]

I'm headed out in a few minutes to pick the Morrel mushrooms growing in my yard. I'll have them tonight with venison steak-yummy. When you pick mushrooms you should transport them in a net type bag so that you spread the spores as you walk around thus spreading the mushroom patch. Dave.

 

[glennster]

john if you want to try a good mushroom, go for the sheepshead or "hen of the woods" they come out in the fall, i start looking late september if its cool enough, best time to hunt is after a fall rain and a full moon. find them at the base of oak trees and old oak stumps. they will run anywhere from a couple pounds up to bushel basket size, 20-30 pound range. they look like a pile of dead oak leaves. cut them across the base, leave a little bit so they come back next year. here is a link to show you what they look like.
sheepshead mushrooms