In my last mushroom post I've presented some eccentric wood eating mushrooms I've found during vacation in Barycz Valley. Today a supplementation - a set of caps on legs, mushrooms of classic look from the same place.
My contribution to #FungiFriday by
The looks might be classic, but the first mushrooms I've seen there were still quite unusual. In the second half of the post about mantis I've hinted about them - figures of giant mushrooms in the area that belonged to the hotel. If they were scaled with the same proportions as the insects, they'd be as big as two-story buildings. It could look quite interesting, but no, the mushrooms were sized so children could see them from all sides. The set contained most of iconic mushrooms you can find in Polish forests, but only those that are easy to identify at first glance (so no champignons, no saffron milk caps, no honey fungus and no parasol mushrooms - none of them are hard to identify, but for children that just learn about them situation might differ).
Dark-brown cap, underside with yellow pores, ochre leg that turns blue-gray when damaged - gotta be a bay bolete. Edible.
Small, with light yellow pores under the cap, covered in slimy skin that is easily peeled, especially in young specimens - slippery jack. Edible.
Tall, with light brown cap and light pores under (both cap and underside darken with age, just leave old mushrooms so they can release spores) and, last but not least, "bark-like" leg - rough-stemmed bolete (or red-cap if the cap is red or orange). Edible.
Greenish-brown head on a white stem, looking like a stinking penis - common stinkhorn. This one is actually pretty rare, that is, unlike others from the list, it only shows up in specific areas in Poland. Edible when still in form of "egg", but then it is very easy to mix with other mushrooms, some of which are very nasty.
In the back: light brown cap, small white pores, big and thick leg, very firm to the touch, feels heavy when picked - a porcini. King of edible mushrooms.
In the front: small, gnarled, yellow or orange funnel-shaped mushroom growing in colonies, with gills coming down to the stem - chanterelles. Edible.
Tall, iconic red cap with white dots that often get washed away with rain, bright white gills under, with veil grown to the top of the leg, right below the cap - a fly agaric. Psychoactive and poisonous.
Tall, eerie green tint on otherwise white cap, white dense gills under, veil attached to the top of the leg - a death cap. Deadly poisonous.
There were of course regular/real mushrooms too, but before we get to them let's look at some lichens.
Finally some normal mushrooms. I'll leave them without identification, because I'm already late with article :oP but they are mostly various amanitas and russulas, two types of champignons.
Examples of mushrooms with other shapes - one ramaria and two puffballs.
The most abundant mushroom in the area at that time was parasol - young and old, big and small (relatively speaking), hidden and in the open, in tall grass and among leaves, from up close and from afar.
I had no way to process them, so I refrained from picking them. Since they were so abundant, I assumed I'll be able to pick some in my area once I get back home - no point in dragging them for 300 km. Aaaand... no parasols in my forest :o( Thankfully there were plenty of saffron milk caps, so I was satisfied in the end.