Midweek Magnificent Mushrooms. #5

Hi everyone and welcome back to another look at some of our magnificent mushrooms that we have in this area. I did not realize that it had been so long since we have looked at mushrooms, so it is time to get back at it. Today we have another beautiful looking mushroom, but remember, just because it looks nice does not mean it is great to it. Again I will stress, you should always go looking for edible mushrooms with someone who actually knows which mushrooms are safe to eat.

It really does not pay to take chances, many mushrooms are poisonous! Today our mushroom is one of the Pholiota species, this time it is the Scaly Pholiota (pholiota squarrosa). The various Pholiota species can be difficult to identify accurately without the aid of a microscope, and knowing what to look for. This species is quite common certain years and can be found growing singly or in bouquets, like in today’s photo.

Scaly Pholiota mushroom, TOXIC.

These mushrooms are TOXIC, do not eat them! They can cause severe gastrointestinal distress which can put a person in the hospital. They can be found on rotting logs or stumps of trees, or around the base of a dead tree, as these were. Although they are toxic and no good to eat, they are a great mushroom for photography purposes. I have several different photos of them and other Pholiota species. They are found from late summer to early fall, particularly in a wet year.

I took this photo in 2019, in September, which was a very wet time for us with lots of rain. I have not seen any in that area since, although I did not check that location last fall. If all this rain we are getting continues through to fall, we should have another great year for mushrooms. Well, that is all for this time, have a great day everyone and God bless!

Steve and Muffin.

©2024 Steve McLeod.