Foray Log 66.2021-2 Green Ridge
Morchella, a group foray to Green Ridge, near Sister’s Oregon to search for burn Morels.
Foray Log- Green Ridge, June 6, 2021
I led a foray for the Willamette Valley Mushroom Society to a wilderness burn area to look for Morels and other burn fungi. Everyone backed out at the last minute except for Leigh and Bob, some new members to our group. We walked with them for a few hours along the slopes of the ashy mountain seeking some green oasis patches that would hold enough moisture to promote the growth of fungi. The weather was a perfect 60 degrees and just enough for a light sweater. The drought we are in did not provide a great Morel season, but we still tried.
Monster Morel, On our foray Andrew discovered the biggest morel I have ever seen! 8.7 oz.!
We found a few handfuls of Morels and some other burn fungi that I have been looking for all season. The Pyronema omphalodes https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/81975547 was something I have been looking for all season, and I finally found patches of it!
Of course I found Geopyxis carbonaria https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/81975723 all over the moist ashy soil. That was probably the most prolific fungi out there.
The Cryptoporus volvatus https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/81975930 was out in flushes all over the burned trees. They looked fresh, but had been bored through by the bugs that use them as homes. I cut one in half to view the “ceiling” and “floor” inside the puffy structure. I learned from a talk by Leah Bendlin that the inside of the Cryptoprus is luminescent under a black light! Definitely going to have to try that out.
After we left the burn area, Andrew and I went out to the non-burned area of Green Ridge and we found some very interesting fungi. Immediately I found a natural morel after stepping over the Sarcosphaera coronaria https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/81976720 and some yellow Ramaria.
Morchella, the only one I found today!
I searched around for more Morchella, but never found any others. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/81976926 The woods we were in were a mix of Ponderosa Pine, Douglas-fir and Grand Fir, and while I was in a patch of younger Grand Fir, I noticed some small holes in the duff. I searched around and found some hypogeum fungi about 2 inches under the soil. These were white oblong fungi with a brown mass that looked like a filter when sliced thin. The next day I was testing out an identification marker, by bouncing them on my kitchen floor like a bouncy ball. It worked! They bounce! What I found was a Rhizopogon https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/81977815
We ended the day by taking a photo of us holding our forest treasures. I had lot’s to study when I got back to my studio and I knew we would have a great meal out of the handful of morels we collected throughout the day.
I also found some gilled mushrooms throughout the day. This Agrocybe https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/81977289 and some more of the copper colored Cortinarius I have been finding since April.
Holding our prize morels of the day!
Art of the day
“Foray in the Cycle of Life” -Digital Photograph by Autumn Anglin
