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 […]
Suillus spraguei – Painted Suillus
The Painted Suillus (Suillus spraguei) is an edible mushroom that can be found in conifer forests from June-October. The mushroom grows scattered or clustered in the ground. It is a mycorrhizal mushroom that often associates with pine. The Painted Suillus has a unique scaly red cap and stem. The yellow pores are covered by a […]
Tylopilus ferrugineus
Tylopilus ferrugineus is an edible mushroom that is native to eastern North America. It fruits July-September. The mushroom is often found in grassy areas in association with oak or beech. The cap and stem are brown. The pores are white and stain brown. Young mushrooms have club-shaped stems and very firm flesh. Spore print is […]
Xerocomus illudens
Xerocomus illudens is an edible bolete that fruits July-October. It forms mycorrhizal relationships with oaks and possibly other hardwoods. The cap is cinnamon-brown or pinkish-cinnamon colored. The pores are lemon yellow and angular. The flesh is pale yellow and does not stain blue. The stem is mustard-yellow and has a course net. Spore print is […]
Macrolepiota procera – Parasol Mushroom
The Parasol mushroom (Macrolepiota procera) is an edible mushroom that fruits August-October. It can be found in open woodlands near conifers or hardwoods or on lawns. The parasol mushroom is saprobic. The cap has scattered brown scales and develops a rounded bump on the center. The stem is slender, tall, and bulbous at the base. […]
Sarcodon imbricatus – Scaly Hedgehog
The Scaly Hedgehog (Sarcodon imbricatus) is an edible, but often bitter mushroom that can be found July-November. It grows in the ground near water or in hilly areas. The mushroom is often found growing near conifers, especially spruce. The scaly hedgehog, also known as “Hawk’s wing”, has raised brownish scales on its cap. Under the […]
Baorangia bicolor – Bicolor Bolete
Bicolor Bolete (Baorangia bicolor) is an edible mushroom that can be found from June-October. It has a mycorrhizal relationship with oak and other hardwood trees. Bicolor boletes grow in the ground scattered or in small clusters. The cap is pinkish to dark red. Occasionally young mushrooms will have a yellow cap. The pore surface is […]
Lactifluus hygrophoroides – Hygrophorus Milk Cap
Hygrophorus milk cap (Lactifluus hygrophoroides) is an edible mushroom that can be found in the eastern United States. It fruits late summer to early fall. The Hygrophorus milk cap forms mycorrhizal relationships with oaks and potentially other hardwoods. It grows singularly on the ground near its host tree. The cap is pale orange to reddish-brown […]
Phylloporus rhodoxanthus – Gilled Bolete
The Gilled Bolete (Phylloporus rhodoxanthus) is an edible mushroom that can be found June-October. It is mycorrhizal with beech and oak. Phylloporus rhodoxanthus is the most common gilled bolete mushroom in North America. There are 6+ species of gilled boletes in North America. The gilled boletes have a bolete-like shape with a thick cap and […]
Craterellus ignicolor – Flame Chanterelle
Flame Chanterelle (Craterellus ignicolor) is a choice edible mushroom that is native to eastern North America. It can be found July-November in swampy forests. The flame chanterelle, also known as “yellowfoot chanterelle” can tolerate very wet environments. It is often found growing in clusters in moss of hardwood forests. It is mycorrhizal with oaks, beech, […]
Craterellus fallax – Black Trumpet
Black trumpets (Craterellus fallax) are a delicious wild mushroom whose flavor is compared to truffles. Black trumpets can be found summer to fall. They often fruit in moss, near oak and beech trees. Black trumpets can be either mycorrhizal or saprobic. They are in the same family as chanterelles and are often found growing in […]
Coprinopsis variegata – Scaly Ink Cap
The Scaly Ink cap (Coprinopsis variegata) is a decomposer with questionable edibility. The scaly ink cap can be found growing on decaying hardwoods in eastern North America. It fruits summer-fall. The cap is covered by a felty, whitish veil when young. The veil soon breaks into large, felty patches revealing a brownish yellow surface underneath. […]
Cantharelles appalachiensis – Appalachian Chanterelle
The Appalachian chanterelle (Cantharelles appalachiensis) is a species of chanterelle that is native to eastern North America. It can be differentiated from other chanterelle species by its pale to yellowish-brown coloration. The Appalachian chanterelle is a summer mushroom that can be found in hardwood forests. Chanterelle mushrooms can be identified by their decurrent gill-like ridges […]
Phaeolus schweinitzii – Dyer’s Polypore
Dyer’s Polypore (Phaeolus schweinitzii) is a pathogenic polypore that causes butt rot on conifers. The mushroom can be found summer-fall on the roots of conifer trees. The mushroom is composed of multiple circular caps. The caps are densely hairy, giving the mushroom a velvety appearance. The caps start yellowish and become brownish with age. The […]