I read another thread where someone was requesting more fungi photos. Well, here ya go. This is Gomphus floccosus, a.k.a. Woolly Chanterelle. In the constantly shifting taxonomic landscape of mycology, I'm not absolutely certain this is the "true" G. floccosus, but it keyed out most convincingly that way. One thing for sure is that it is a relative of the true Chanterelle, belonging to the Cantharellaceae family. Like that species, spore-bearing basidia are born not on true gills, but on blunted gill-like ridges that line the tissue beneath the cap. Unlike the true Chanterelle, this species is not generally considered edible. It is, in fact, listed as poisonous in some field guides. This photo was taken in November of 2004, in Multnomah County, Oregon.
Great photo! 2004 was a stellar mushroom year- we took a trip into Olympic National Park and spent several days hiking and photographing the fungal display.
Mushrooms are such a wonderful photo subject. I envy all you people who live on the West Coast. I have to travel great distances in Southern Ontario from where I live to get mushroom shots. Algonquin Park Area is where I must go, and the selection is rather limited. There are usually millions of one or two types of mushroom, which are usually not eatable. However there is one area where the poplar trees are literally covered with oyster mushrooms, depending upon the time one visits, but a 500 Km. trip makes the journey too much of an effort. I tried the Carolianian Forests around Brantford with no results. This area is simply not mushroom country. So I say to you West Coast people, post more pretty mushroom pictures. Personally I always find them fascinating.
Durgan.
