Omphalotus illudens – Jack O’lantern
The Jack O’lantern mushroom (Omphalotus illudens) is the toxic look-a-like to edible chanterelles and chicken of the woods mushrooms. Jack o’lanterns fruit summer-fall on decaying hardwood and buried roots. They fruit in clusters with their stems often converging at their base. Jack o’lanterns can be identified by their pumpkin orange color and true gills which […]
Gyroporus cyanescens – Cornflower Bolete
The Cornflower bolete (Gyroporus cyanescens) is an edible bolete that stains an intense shade of blue. The cornflower bolete, also known as the bluing bolete, fruits summer-fall in sandy soil. It can associate with conifers or hardwoods. The mushroom can be identified by its stem and cap that are woolly and pale olive to yellowish […]
Pleurotus citrinopileatus – Golden Oyster
Golden oysters (Pleurotus citrinopileatus) are a potentially invasive edible species of mushroom. Golden oysters are commonly cultivated on outdoor logs. They were first found in the wild having escaped cultivation in 2014 and have been spreading ever since. Golden oysters can be found on hardwood logs, especially elm and beech. They fruit spring to fall. […]
Polyporus umbellatus – Umbrella polypore
The umbrella polypore (Polyporus umbellatus) is a rare, choice edible mushroom. It can be found at the base of hardwood trees, acting as a weak parasite or a saprobe. They fruit spring-fall. The mushroom can be found at the same spot year after year. The mushroom is composed of umbrella-shaped caps that emerge from a […]
Cantharellus spp. – Golden Chanterelle
The Golden chanterelle (Cantharellus spp.) is a choice edible summer mushroom. There are multiple species of golden chanterelles in the northeast that can be difficult to distinguish without DNA sequencing. The golden chanterelle can be found June-September. It prefers heat and humidity. Look for the mushroom a few days after heavy rains. The golden chanterelle […]
Boletus edulis clade – King Bolete
King bolete (Boletus edulis clade) is a group of mushrooms that are the most prized of the bolete mushrooms. King boletes, also known as porcini or penny bun, can grow summer-fall, 1-2 days after a heavy rain. They form mycorrhizal associations with a variety of tree species including pine, spruce, oak, and beech. King boletes […]
Amanita chrysoblema – American Fly Agaric
The American Fly Agaric, yellow-orange variant (Amanita chrysoblema) is toxic, psychoactive, or edible depending on preparation. It fruits often in the fall and occasionally in the spring. This species was previously called Amanita muscaria var. guessowii. The American fly agaric is often found growing mycorrhizally with conifers but can also associate with deciduous trees. […]
Suillus weaverae – Butterball Bolete
The butterball bolete (Suillus weaverae) is an edible mushroom that fruits summer-fall. It is often one of the first boletes to fruit. The mushroom has an orange-brown, slippery cap and small glandular dots on the stem. The cap may develop a patchwork pattern as it ages. The pore surface is white at first, becoming yellow […]
Lactarius tabidus – Birch Milkcap
The Birch milkcap (Lactarius tabidus) is an inedible milkcap that fruits occasionally in the spring and more often in the fall next to birch trees. The birch milkcap can be identified by its orange-brown cap that is raised at its center. When the gills are damaged, they produce white latex that turns yellow. The stem […]
Galerina marginata – Deadly Galerina
The Deadly Galerina (Galerina marginata) is the deadly toxic look-alike to edible honey mushrooms (Armillaria spp.) and enoki (Flammulina velutipes). The deadly galerina grows scattered or in small clusters on hardwood or conifer logs. It generally fruits June-October. The cap is orange-brown to dark brown and sticky. Gills are yellow, becoming rusty-brown with age. The […]
Chlorociboria spp. – Green Elf Cup
Green elf cup (Chlorociboria spp.) is a small blue-green mushroom that stains wood blue. It can be found from June-November on hardwood logs. It prefers oak wood that is devoid of bark. The green elf cup has small cup-shaped fruiting bodies that are attached to the wood by a stem. The mushrooms are […]
Laetiporus sulphureus – Chicken of the Woods
Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) is an edible mushroom that has a flavor and texture that is similar to chicken. Laetiporus sulphureus can be found growing on living or dead hardwood trees from May-November. It has bright orange caps with yellow edges. Pores and flesh are both yellow. Spore print is white. Chicken of […]
Tricholoma “caligatum” complex – False Matsutake
False matsutake (Tricholoma “caligatum” complex) is a group of Tricholoma species that closely resemble the choice edible American matsutake (Tricholoma magnivelare). False matsutake can be found July-October in the northeast. It grows in association with hardwood trees, particularly oaks. False matsutake has a white cap with flat brownish scales. The stem is smooth and white […]
Hericium americanum – Bear’s Head Tooth
Bear’s head tooth (Hericium americanum) is an edible and medicinal mushroom that is closely related to lion’s mane (Hericium erinceus). It fruits from late August to early November. Bear’s head tooth can be found as a parasite or saprobe on hardwood trees, especially beech, oak, and maple. It is often found in damaged parts of […]
Apioperdon pyriforme – Pear-shaped Puffball
The Pear-shaped puffball (Apioperdon pyriforme) is an edible mushroom that can be found as a decomposer of both coniferous and deciduous trees. It often fruits in large, dense clusters. The pear-shaped puffball can be either pear shaped or spherical. The color ranges from cream to yellowish-brown. This inside is white and marshmallow-like at first, becoming […]
Laccaria ochropurpurea – Purple Laccaria
Purple laccaria (Laccaria ochropurpurea) is an edible mushroom that fruits late summer-fall. It can be found in association with hardwood trees, particularly oak and beech, or white pine. Purple laccaria has a cream to violet-gray colored cap. The cap is convex at first, flattening with age. The gills are purple, lightening with age. The fibrous […]
Armillaria mellea – Honey Mushrooms
Honey mushrooms (Armillaria mellea) are an edible and medicinal mushroom that fruits late August-November. Honey mushrooms can be parasitic or saprobic. They can grow with a wide variety of tree species, but are commonly found with oak, beech, and fruit trees. They often grow in dense clusters at the base of stumps and trees. The […]
Pleurotus levis
Pleurotus levis is a non-toxic look alike to the choice edible Veiled oyster (Pleurotus dryinus) mushroom. Pleurotus levis can grow on wounds of living trees as a parasite or it can grow on dead wood as a saprobe. The cap is white to cream when young, yellowing with age. Gills are decurrent. The stem can […]
Xanthoconium affine
Xanthoconium affine is an edible mushroom that can be found July-October. It is mycorrhizal with hardwood trees, especially beech and oak. The cap is dark brown or reddish-brown, turning yellowish-brown. Pores are white, becoming pale yellow. The mushroom does not stain blue. The stem is streaked with a color that is paler than the cap. […]
Strobilomyces sp. – Old Man of the Woods
The Old Man of the Woods (Strobilomyces sp.) is an edible mushroom that fruits June-October. It can be found growing singularly or clustered in mixed hardwood or conifer forests. The cap and stem are gray to black and shaggy. Pores start off white, then turn gray and eventually black with age. Flesh turns reddish when […]