Midweek Magnificent Mushrooms! #3

Hi everyone and welcome back to our series on mushrooms! Please remember, however, if you want to go looking for wild mushrooms to eat, always go with someone who really knows their mushrooms. That is always the safest way to do things when dealing with mushrooms. I have eaten wild mushrooms and they were fantastic, but I went with someone who knew which mushrooms were good to eat. This series is just for looking at some of our mushrooms which can be found in Northeastern North America, and that does include our area.

Today we are looking at a beautiful, though plain white mushroom called Amanita Multisquamosa, pictured just above. The cap can open to be up to 5 inches (12cm) across and the stem can be up to 6 inches (15cm) tall. They usually grow singly or in scattered clusters under oaks and pines. They can be found from July to October. Their range is not well known.

They will have no odor or will smell quite radish like. They are POISONOUS. They are a nice mushroom for photography purposes, but that is all. This mushroom can be white or pale creamy colored. Nearly all Amanita species of mushrooms are poisonous so it is best to stay away from all of the different species since some are very difficult to distinguish from each other, even by experts.

The wart like appearance on the cap is left over from a covering called a “universal veil” which completely covers the new mushroom as it first emerges and then breaks apart as the mushroom grows, leaving behind that warty appearance on top. Well, I hope you enjoyed todays mushroom pick. Have a great day and God bless!

Steve and Muffin.

©2024 Steve McLeod.