One of the most beautiful mushrooms on earth.
Lactarius Indigo - The Indigo Milk Cap. Stumble upon this beauty in the forest and you won't be able to resist its charms. You may need to look closely as detritus can sometimes adhere to the cap and keep the mushroom obscured from view. But once you see it, you'll know.
This fungal miracle grows in Eastern and Southern North America, but primarily down on the gulf coast in Mexico. Sometimes it will be found in the Appalachian Mountains, although I have yet to be so lucky.
NY is probably too far north. As a result, I've never seen one in person, so the photos in this post are all wikicommons with citations at the bottom.
The astonishing blue color of Lactarius indigo is only part of its allure.
The really amazing stuff happens when you damage the mushroom
The reason this mushroom is called the Indigo MILK mushroom is because when you damage the gills or cut the flesh it exudes a kind of milky, latex like substance. In this case, the "milk" is bright blue.
Indeed, that is the primary indentifier for inclusion in the Lactarius genus - every Lactarius species exudes some kind of milk or latex when cut or damaged, as long as they have received enough rain.
In the case of Lactarius indigo, the color of the mushroom and its amazing hue of its milk, almost seal the deal as far as identification is concerned. Having said that, there are some other Lactarius that could be mistaken, theoretically, for this mushroom, and so best practice is to go through all of the identification steps, as always!
We never recommend eating your finds
But the internet and wild mushroom lovers everywhere will fight us on this one. (We won't budge!)
Lactarius Indigo is mycorrhizal - which means, like Chanterelles and probably Morels - this blue mushroom's mycelium creates a mutually beneficial relationship with the roots of a nearby tree or trees. The mycelium and the tree will exchange goods, with the mycelium giving the tree minerals and proteins while taking carbon from the tree to build more mycelium and mushrooms.
This relationship means you can often find Indigo Blues on the ground in deciduous and coniferous forests. (Deciduous are the kinds of trees whose leaves fall off every year and Coniferous are mostly ever-greens and pines). Specifically look for these mushrooms nearby oak or pine trees.
Macroscopic Features:
Cap = 2.0 to 5.9 in wide (5 - 15cm) - convex becoming almost funnel shaped as it ages. As seen above, young specimens have the cap rolling inward at first - then it spreads out as it matures. Sticky when young.
Gills = Adnate to a bit decurrent
Flesh = Blue to light blue - turns green as exposed to air - black as exposed to heat. Brittle, like many Lactarius species.
Stem ("stipe") = .8 - 2.4 in tall by .4 - 1.0in thick (2-6cm by 1-2.5cm) - solid, not hollow. Sticky when young, then dry.
Spore Print = Cream colored - not blue.
Ecology ("What it grows on") = Mycorrhizal, found in forests - often near Oaks or Pines, on the ground.
Distribution = Eastern and Southern North American, including Appalachia - primarily Gulf Coast of Mexico.
Edibility = Some consider it an excellent edible mushroom. Other's like it less. But all say it is edible. But repeat after me "we don't eat our finds."
Other Traits = Beautiful blue gills and usually blue flesh. Unless dried out, cutting the flesh or damaging the gills will cause the mushroom to exude a milky latex in a bright blue color. This latex turns dark green after awhile exposed to air.
Have a Mushroom you want help identifying - leave a message on the Steemit Mycology discord channel.
For The Online Mycokey program look Here
For A Crash Course On How To Identify A Mushroom Read The Amatuer Mycologist #3
For a Glossary Of Relevant Mycological Terms, Micheal Kuo's Website Provides
Photo Sources:
[1]Dan Molter [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
[2]By This image was created by user Alan Rockefeller (Alan Rockefeller) at Mushroom Observer, a source for mycological images. You can contact this user here. [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
[3]By Alan Rockefeller (Mushroom Observer) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
[4]By Alan Rockefeller (Mushroom Observer) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
[5]By user: Eddee (ravenhawkdr) (Mushroom Observer) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Information Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactarius_indigo#Description
http://www.mushroomexpert.com/lactarius_indigo.html
A firesale of OC
There's my pop-sci blog, soon to be dealing with the conundrum of light's speed.
Piqued #2 - A Crash Course In Space Time
Piqued #3 - A Crash Course Towards The Speed Of Light
Piqued #4 - Enter The Wormhole - A Crash Course
[Piqued #5 - All About Warp Speed](Hey! Checkout blog post on Steem https://steemit.com/science/@dber/piqued-5-an-idiot-s-guide-to-warp-drives)
Or some Pretty Little Ideas for your home and life
Pretty Little Ideas #1 - Framing Flower Petals
Pretty Little Ideas #2 - Art Postcard Collage
Pretty Little Ideas #3 - Making An Old Iron Planter Beautiful Again
Then there's my series about the exploration of wild mushrooms - most recently an interactive workshop to teach readers how to identify mushrooms themselves
The Amatuer Mycologist #3
The Amatuer Mycologist #4 - Phallus ravenelii - Ravenelii's Stinkhorn
The Amatuer Mycologist #5 - Lycoperdon perlatum - The Common Puffball
For something with more whimsy, there's my often ridiculous reviews of your favorite candies - cause why the hell not?!
Kinder Bueno Review - In English, German and Spanish
The Great Peep Menace
Almond Joy Vs Mounds Blood Feud
Nerds - Teaching Children To Eat Other People's Happiness
Good N Plenty - Grossing Out Young People For Over A Century
Crunchie Bar - If You Haven't Eaten, Perhaps You Haven't Lived.
And finally a small bucket of miscellaneous material. Particularly relevant to whales is my commentary on the current state of taxation on Steem based on the most recent IRS notices.
A Taste of Travel #2 - Hassan II Mosque
Or Check Out The TV Sitcom Comedy Pilot I Made With A Friend
25 Cent Cold Brew Coffee
NYC Bail Reform - Part 1 -Riker's Island And The Evils Of Bail