Rain, rain, bring it on! Sue Rose led us on this exciting walk to areas of the Sanctuary we haven't gone before. We saw many interesting fungi and some slime molds. One important lesson we learned is how different fungi can appear when they are wet rather than dry. For example, we kept finding this gorgeous resupinate fungus growing on fallen sticks that had wine-brown hues. After madly guesssing about what rare exotic it might be, we realized that it was the relatively boring and extremely common Hydnochaete olivaceum. Highlights of the walk included finding a stinkhorn, a perfectly stunning fruiting of Laetiporus cincinnatus, and a strange fruiting of a tiny Boletus sensibilis out of the 'parent' cluster - all in picture perfect condition. Then, just as we hit the half-way mark, the sky poured down on us. Rena fell in the mud, but Roger was there to help her up on her feet. She was flustered, but fine afterwards. We were all soaked to the bone, but were glad we came out for the walk, the discoveries and the great company!
Here is a list of some of our finds:
Gilled Mushrooms: Amanita vaginata, Russula sp., Megacollybia platyphylla, Xerula radicata, Gymnopilus dryophilus, Marasmius sp.
Boletes: Boletus bicolor, Boletus sensibilis
Polypores and Allies: Polyporus alveolaris, Polyporus varius, Trichaptum biforme, Phellinus gilvus, Fomes fomentarius, Schizophylum commune, Stereum complicatum, Stereum ostrea, Trametes versicolor, Laetiporus cincinnatus, Xylobolus frustulatus
Jellies: Tremella mesenterica, Dacrymyces palmatus
Stinhorns: Mutinus elegans
Ascomycetes: Xylaria polymorpha
Slime Molds: Fuligo septica, Stemonitis sp., Enteridium lycoperdon

Please click on each photo to view a larger version. Commentary is the the making.