15 September 2011

Mushroom Season - Help Me Identify the Mushroom - Part 1

It is mushroom season. I can tell that by the HOURS I need to pass a path that normally takes 5 minutes. As those of you following me for a while now know, I live with my family in a forest by the sea. It goes by the fairy-tale name of The Pine Forest, and it sure does look like a scene of a fairy-tale regardless of season.

And we are now embarking on the most amazing seasons of all - autumn. It comes with powerful gusts of wind, still warm enough to walk around sleeveless. The wind brings clouds that shed their tears over us and then obediently let themselves be blown away to open the sky for the golden light of the sun, loosing its passion day after day.

But in the meantime mushrooms - those amazing fruits of autumn take advantage of the moment and populate the forest. There are whole colonies around every corner, under pines, huddled close to bushes and rocks, growing on the moss, along the paths and on the paths... it is magical!

The hours I've been spending lying on the ground to take a closer look/photo transfer me to the world of Thumbelina, Peter Rabbit and all forest fairies.

My problem is that I don't know mushrooms. None of them, except the cultivated Agaricus campestris that can be bought in any food store.

That is why I officially ask you, my readers, to help me identify the mushrooms I have photographed in the forest so far. I know that many of you know them, pick them, eat them, and even use them for dyeing fabrics! I believe this would be the only way for me to learn at least their names. Later on, I will attempt creating a Mushroom series, which will include your words and my photos - a kind of collective guest posting experience. Quite the collaboration and exactly what communities like ours are about! And since the works in my blog are shared under Creative Commons, you will be able to repost the series on your own blogs.

So, what do you say, are you in? 
Here is the first batch of photos.






This post is part of the Through the Looking Glass project. Click here to see the rest of  the posts in the series.

22 comments:

  1. Sonya, I am clueless about mushrooms...but a connoisseur of your photos:):) What a gorgeous place you must live in, I love how your words have created this magical place in my mind now:):)

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  2. Thank you Kala!

    I am sure that my words are weak to describe this amazing corner of the world in its full grandeur but I am glad I have this blog to at least try and to share what I see!

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  3. I would stay away from the mushroom on picture nr 3!

    The rest i don't know :)

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  4. I love mushroom hunting but I don't know much about them. I love picture number two.

    Two things I know are "chicken of the woods" mushroom is big, orange and yellow. It's my favorite mushroom because it's so colorful.

    A mushroom expert told me never to eat mushrooms with a red coloring.

    That's all I got! But I'll be following this thread to see if you get an answer.

    Great pictures.

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  5. Renathe, isn't it a pity that the such a beautiful mushroom is so dangerous?

    Sher, Chicken of the woods grows on trees, right? I checked it out on Google and yes, it is so attractively orange :)

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  6. I never knew there were so many different kinds!

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  7. These are gorgeous photos! I actually included a mushroom fine art photo in my "This and That" post earlier today! We must be in sync today :)

    I'm not good at identifying species of plants very well unfortunately. I saw some gorgeous bright red mushrooms walking on the trail the other day. I took photos, but I only had my cell phone with me and the quality wasn't great. I'll have to go back with my camera.

    I think fairies must be living under the mushroom colony in the first photo. It looks like prime real estate. :)

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  8. Susie, you call this many? Wait to see the rest of the photos!

    Hehe, Mary, I am having the same doubts - fairies definitely live there!

    I have noted that we are in the same vibe lately :)

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  9. I don't know mushrooms, but I do know when I like photos and you take some very nice ones!

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  10. Beautiful pictures!! I've cooked with a lot of different types of mushrooms but I don't recognize any of these just by looking at them. There is a great website www.rogersmushrooms.com that has wonderful picture charts for trying to identify.

    I particularly love the orange capped one...I can picture a little gnome standing underneath it! ;-)

    ps...make sure you don't eat any that you aren't sure of...it's amazing how poisonous some mushrooms are.

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  11. Great pictures! I recognize the one with orange cap from my garden. I read on the web that it is poisonous.

    Cheers,
    -Melike
    acupofsparkle.blogspot.com

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  12. I don't know much about mushrooms either. But your photos are just wonderful! The 3rd photo mushroom looks just like ones painted with fairies and mice.

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  13. Same as many of the above, don't know one from the other, but I love picture #3! I'm pretty sure I have those in my yard, too but mine don't look quite as orange on top.

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  14. Yes, chicken of the woods does grow on trees. They are common around here right now so I'm thinking I need to take a hike on the trails at the dunes and find some to photograph.

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  15. I know nothing about mushrooms, but your photos are amazing!
    Valerie
    Everyday Inspired

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  16. Beautiful pics !!!
    I learned that we have to be careful with everything on the forest floor, because of this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinococcosis
    No more mushrooms or strawberries that are raw. This is very sad.

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  17. The photos are wonderful!
    There is something so enchanting about muhrooms.


    I'm afraid I know nothing about mushrooms so I can't help with identification......

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  18. Oh I love walking through the woods and seeing the mushrooms. ;-) So sad summer is ending here in Michigan but I recently posted 5 neat mushrooms that I photographed while camping on my blog : http://tuckersalley.blogspot.com/2011/09/mid-day-mushroom-hunting.html

    Just began following you today through EBT! ;-) Great mushroom photographs too by the way!

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  19. The red mushrooms with spots is a Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria). They are poisonous.

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  20. Meeling, thank you sincerely for the link! I have been looking for a similar directory with no success. And they have amazing photos as well!

    Emmanuelle, thank you for the warning. I am so far satisfied just by taking pictures of mushrooms and not eating them raw in any case. But refraining from strawberries would be tough.

    Kelly, awesome photos on your blog!

    The Wooden Bee, thanks! I've had some doubts about that lovely mushroom. Alas, the more beautiful - the more dangerous...

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  21. Your photos are amazing!! I love them!

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