Foray Log 612.2021 - Avery Forest
Henry and Jordan looking close at all of the logs in the Old Growth forest for fungi.
Foray Log- Avery Family Forest, June 12, 2021
Today was the last foray to the Avery Family Forest for our study group. We are heading into fire season here in Oregon, and we have to return our key by the end of the month. It has been an incredible experience watching the seasons change in the foothills of the Cascades.
Henry, Jordan, Diana, and my family all participated in this foray. We stopped at the Old Growth Douglas-fir forest- one of the most magical places I have ever been. Down in those old trees the air was cooler and the humidity higher, just the right conditions to see some fungi. Since it had been raining for the past few days, I was also hopeful we would find some Myxomycetes. Leah Bendlin just gave our mushroom society a wonderful talk on the little slime molds, so Diana and I were really hoping to find some. Check out her presentation here.
Stemonitis sp? a slime mold we found growing on a decomposing log.
After we found some LBM’s and the usual Fomotopsis growing on the old growth stands, I looked over at a massive decomposing log, and there was a big wine colored patch of feathery sculptures. When we looked closer we discovered it was a wonderful example of the Myxomycete Stemonitis sp?, in all stages of growth. The beginning stages looked like little green eggs clustered together, but we observed that as it grew, it began to form a blackish-brown stalk with light green to dark brown sporocyst with lots of little reddish droplets oozing out of the structure. Everyone took turns taking a peak at this organism and then we sat and photographed it for a while. Diana had brought a new UV flashlight so we used our bodies to block out the dappled light to see what the UV light would illuminate. It glowed purples and greens.
Later in our walk we came across an old Xerocommellus that stained blue when I cut it in half. We walked a bit further then decided to drive up to another trail that Andrew and I had found at about 3200 ft. elevation. Just a few weeks before we had found some interesting snowbank fungi and I was curious if any would be left.
Pseudoplectania nigrella, found growing on the Douglas-fir cone in an old growth forest.
We found some more LBM’s and began digging around for some hypogeous fungi. This was something I just started recently because at these higher elevations, we can still find some underground fungi, and the evidence was everywhere. Little holes near the bases of tree roots are a good giveaway to the occurrence of these buried fungi. I stuck my fingers in just below the layer of leaf litter to break up some of the soil underneath. Just a few inches from the original hole was a little white node of fungi. I sliced it open to reveal a marbled grey, solid texture. I think they might be Hysterangium.
R. hypogeous fungi I found at the base of a Hemlock tree at 3200 ft. elevation.
I have been listening to hours of the podcast Welcome to the Mushroom Hour lately. It has been so inspiring to hear stories of citizen mycologists share their passion and knowledge. I feel like this journey I am on is something that will fulfill me for a long time to come.
One last note, I got to check on a bucket list fungi! I found this Chlorociboria starting to form little cups in the blue/green cracks of the stained wood. That was very exciting!
Chlorocivoria aeruginascens ssp. aeruginascens found on decaying wood at 3200 ft elevation.
Art of the day
“The other life forms” -Digital Photograph with UV light by Autumn Anglin
