Kedi-Gato's Toadstools & Mushrooms

[kedigato]

I found this one while we were out on a drive on Sunday. It was quite large, about 16 -17 cm across -

[DAG]

Corrrrr......what a whopper! ;D

[nazimundo]

It is quite big Kedi and would be lovely with a few rashers of bacon and a fried egg

Alfie

[kedigato]

Rather not, Alfie, you'll have to make do with just the begs and acon

[Deleted]

Lovely shot Kedi. The top one almost rather alien. But how did you manage to get that bottom one? You know I've tried to take shots from underneath like you have.... but I haven't been very successful.

My grandfather and uncle used to go up into the mountains and pick mushrooms all the time. My grandmother would put them up. They were delicious...just glad I lived to talk about it ..

[kedigato]

Thanks Jeanne.

My trick is just to hold the camera on the ground, point it at the subject, take several pics and hope that one turns out well.

[kedigato]

I found this strange double fungi in the garden today -

[DAG]

Wow, that is strange! Must say kedi your technique seems to work really well!

(The photography that is!) ;D

[kedigato]

Thanks DAG.

I sent pics of this strange fungi to Bill Petty *, thinking I had perhaps found something rare in our garden. He was kind enough to get right back to me, here is an excerpt from his letter -

" This little "Varnish Shelf" is an old friend of mine. I call it Ganoderma curtisii. Many mycologists equate this species with G. lucidum but I don't know that DNA studies or crossing studies have shown this to be the case. G. curtisii is common in the southeast on oaks. They may seem to be terrestrial but there is some wood under that grass and it's probably the root of an oak tree that's either dead or dying. "

Thank you for the ID, Bill, and yes, there is an oak tree nearby, but a healthy one, as far as I can see. However, there is the rest of an old tree stump even nearer to the fungi, so that would be the answer.


* * * * * * * * *


* direct link to Bill's website -

www.nettally.com/annep/floridafungi/


- and it is also here in our Links Section -

naturalworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=lw&thread=2928&page=1#16084

[kedigato]

A variety of fungi found in the kids garden today -

[DAG]

Well they look lovely, wouldn't eat them in case they are toadstalls, but that has made me fancy mushrooms on toast..........ummm, think I will go and have breakfast now! ;D

[nazimundo]

Nice pics Kedi, but, like Dag I don't think I would chance eating any of them. Although I love mushrooms fresh picked from the field as they are so much nicer than the ones you get in the shops.
I used to work with a Polish man who knew all the different kinds of fungi that were edible. He would go into a wood and come out with an amazing variety of strange looking things that I wouldn't have touched never mind eaten. He didn't come to any harm so they must have been ok

Alfie

[kedigato]

We know someone at home in Germany who knows which one to pick and which ones to avoid, too. But I still wouldn't eat any "wild" ones, anyone that does is very brave in my books, or foolhardy.

I'll stick to store-bought ones and just taking pics of any and all. ;D

[nazimundo]

Having lived on farms most of my life I grew up knowing about field mushrooms and believe me they taste so much better than shop bought ones.
Theres nothing better than bacon egg and mushrooms, with the mushrooms fresh from the field and fried in the bacon fat

Alfie

[kedigato]

Sounds delicious, Alfie, but I don't thnk I'd like to chance it. Probably because I can't tell the one from the other.


Saw this giant toadstool over in the woods right next to the kids house here. As you see, the biggest one was just a shade under 35 cm!








The stalks were a bit furry -