Urban mushroom diary - autumn update 2

The previous diary is here. Note: None of my species determinations should be trusted!

23 august 2015 - I dream that I'm walking along a narrow and winding path through the woods. The soil is covered with pine needles and no plants seem to grow here. Along the path I see big, wheel-sized, mushrooms. They grow in a perpendicular direction to normal mushrooms so that the lower part of the stem and the cap is submerged below the ground. I don't know if they're supposed to grow this way or if they've been toppled somehow.

10 september 2015 - New mushrooms are growing  along the bicycle path to the city center. The grow from barren, sandy and relatively fresh soil. They rise from the deep and have a lot of earth-moving power. Probably Agaricus bitorquis.

17 september 2015 -The Agaricus bitorquis (?) mushrooms have returned to the spot between the bicycle path and the road. It took them approximately three weeks to regrow after the mowing. The mycelium is strong with this spot.

20 september 2015 - Discovered a nice fairy ring in the park at the outskirts of Hoek van Holland. It's difficult to see in the strange light and even in real life it took me some time to see it. This could be Marasmius oreades. I really have to start picking the mushrooms and at least photographing the gills in more detail. I still miss too many determining characteristics.

In the same park there were many clusters of mushrooms growing from dead wood. But not many growing from the soil. Impossible to determine from just the photograph. Does not fit Psilocibe nor Stropharia. Could it be Coprinellus micaceus? Have to give up ...



21 september 2015 -  A new species in the spot between the bicycle path and the road. A big trumpet shaped mushroom with very solid flesh. Rain water forms a pool in the hollow of its cap. It could be a Lactarius controversus because that one lives together with poplars. But Lactarius chrysorrheus looks like better match. I should have tested for milk sap on the gills.

22 september 2015 - A single shaggy ink cap (Coprinus comatus) has appeared in the grass between two asphalt roads in an office area. This species is edible. It was gone quickly and no new ones have appeared. Wikipedia says: It grows in places which are often unexpected, such as green areas in towns. It occurs widely in grasslands and meadows in Europe from June through to November.

23 september 2015 - Suddenly there are pictures of mushrooms in the free Metro newspaper sent in by readers. These are of course Coprinus comatus, Amanita muscaria and Macrolepiota procera.

25 september 2015 - A beautiful group of Agaricus has appeared around the trumpet-shaped mushroom. Also more trumpets have appeared. For such a dreary, boring place it's surprisingly rich in mushrooms.

On the same date I again saw the (probable) Tricholoma mushroom. At first I thought it was myomyces but that one seems to grow under pine trees. So more probably this is Tricholoma populina which grows under poplar trees. This one needed approximately two weeks to regrow after mowing. So this place has at least three species of mushrooms!

26 september 2015 - There are many adult colouring books in the Donner bookshop. There is an autumn version that contains several pages of mushrooms. Most of the pictures are of edible mushrooms.

One lonely Coprinus comatus in the Kralingse bos city park. I'm surprised that there are so few of them these year because this is a very common and typical mushroom of our region.

An enormous cluster on an old dead tree. Looks like Psilocybe fascicularis (Hypholoma fasciculare). There are more of these clusters in this area (near the pine tree forest in the park). Wikipedia says: The "Sulphur Tuft" is bitter and poisonous; consuming it can cause vomiting, diarrhea and convulsions.

A beautiful mysterious mushroom growing from similar rotting tree trunk. The young ones have this beautiful transparent pink colour, the older ones are bigger and black. This could be Pluteus salicinus. This one might be hallucinogenic if I've got the name correctly (I will not try that).

 

Sources:
Michigan mushroom hunters
Urban mushrooms
Mushroom determination lecture
Pluteus salicinus grown for hallucinogenic properties