Came across this incredible blue mushroom in 2009 on a hike in NC. It was quite a surprise seeing as how I have never ever seen a blue mushroom before! The closest match I could find was an INDIGO MILKY especially since it is a vase shaped chanterelle and the stem in the ID looked similar with patches of blue color like a mosaic! An absolute gem of a mushroom. It was also the only blue one I found in the field guide.
The mountains get incredible out croppings of mushrooms because there is so much forest debris, moisture and constant decomposition. After a rain one day I took probably 30 shots of so many different kinds of mushrooms I was amazed.
The upsweeping shapes of these caps put them in either the lactarii or polypores families. I'm not that educated yet as to what every shroom is, but I'm learning.
I love these round orange button looking ones. But if I'm close on the ID, they are a poisonous Fly Agaric Button. Some of the names are quite alarming; Wolf's Milk Slime, Death Cap, Destroying Angel & Aborted Entoloma to name a few of those on preceding pages of Audubon's Mushroom ID book! These are probably just opening too. The cap appears to open & spread out further.
These Lobster Mushrooms are very common along the roadside near our cabin. Sprouting out of the browns & greys of the forest pine straw & leaf mold, their brilliant oranges and burning red is startling and beautiful. These are actually a mold
Haven't found this white & brown gilled upturned cup shaped one yet.
These next 3 shots are Amanitas; I think either Ragveil Amanita or Smith's Amanita. Absolutely the most perfect shaped, white gorgeous mushroom. A classic. The textured cap is beautiful.
When my friend Deb & I came across this character sprouting out of the lawn of a cabin nearby we had to seriously inspect it further. Down to the split in the cap, it was an absolute rated X mushroom! Haven't found anything in my ID book that looks anything like this...maybe an inky cap, stinkhorn or earth tongue!!! But it was right next to the trio below. Definitely the same variety; the measles on top were quite distinctive.
Unidentified Polypore
This may be a fully grown Fly Algaric or a Reddening Lepiota, but there are quite a few 'veiled' mushrooms with high attached collars. The acorn debris was thick at its base. I printed out an 8 x 10 of this & started a wall in the cabin of just mushrooms. One of my favorite shots.
These two are the same mushroom, different light readings to get the detail of the cap & the gills below. A perfect fairy table for afternoon tea.
