Fairy Club fungus - on the trail in the Davidson River

 

Fairy Club fungus - Clavariadelphus americanus  - is found in oaks and pines forest.
Its body is 3-15 cm high and up to about 3 cm wide at the apex.
It has cylindrical or narrowly club shape at first, becoming wider later.

The fungus is initially smooth, then becomes shallowly wrinkled. At the beginning is orange fawn, later darkening to orange-brown or cinnamon-brown.

Fairy Club fungus - Clavariadelphus americanus is nearly identical to the better known Clavariadelphus pistillaris which grows during summer and autumn almost exclusively in beech forest.

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Davidson River - August 28,  September 3

 

 

Unusual mushrooms on the Thrift Cove trail

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Comb Tooth Fungus (Hericium coralloides) is a large (mostly) white mass with numerous toothed branches. This fungus typically grows between 10 and 40 cm wide; and is 5 to 20 cm high. The branches are  toothy structures and occur on both sides of the branch somewhat like the teeth on a comb. These “teeth” (spines) are about 1 cm. They are usually white, but can also be creamy or pinkish.

These fungi occur as solitary or clustered on dead hardwood or on living trees that have been injured.  Comb tooth fungus shows quite regularly on a tree, but for few seasons (up to 5 years). Late August to late October
It could be eaten when it is white.

 

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Amanitas

Amanita fulva, commonly called the Tawny Grisette

Amanita Phalloides

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Painted bolete - Suillus spraguei from the family Boletaceae.
This mushroom has a bright reddish cap covered with dry red hairs and a stem covered by reddish hairs similar to the cap.
Other names: Painted Slipperycap, The Painted Suillus, The Red and Yellow Suillus. 

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Xeromphalina campanella, with common names: the Pinewood Gingertail, Golden Trumpet or the Bell Omphalina. The mushroom is also called Fuzzy-Foot.

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Black Trumpet Mushroom - Craterellus cornucopioides, 

or horn of plenty, is an edible mushroom. 

It is also known as the black chanterelle, black trumpet, trompette de la mort (French), trombetta dei morti (Italian) or trumpet of the dead, djondjon (Haitian).

The Cornucopia, in Greek mythology, referred to the magnificent horn of the nymph Amalthea's goat (or of herself in goat form), that filled itself with whatever meat or drink its owner requested. 

It has become the symbol of plenty. 

A possible origin for the name "trumpet of the dead" is that the growing mushrooms were seen as being played as trumpets by dead people under the ground. 

 

The mushroom is usually almost black, and it is hard to find because its dark colour easily blends in with the leaf litter on the forest floor. Hunters of this mushroom say it is like looking for black holes in the ground. Wikipedia

 

Thrift Cove trail - August 29, September 1

Unusual mushrooms - Stinkhorns

"Phallaceae is a family of fungi, commonly known as stinkhorns, within the order Phallales. Stinkhorns have a worldwide distribution, but are especially prevalent in tropical regions. They are known for their foul-smelling, sticky spore masses, or gleba, borne on the end of a stalk called the receptaculum." Wikipedia

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 Elegant Stinkhorn (Demon Fingers, Devil's Dipstick, Dog Stinkhorn, Headless Stinkhorn)

 

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Stinky Squid -  a member of the Stinkhorn family Phallaceae.

Its shape is distinctly different from most mushrooms. It has three or four separate orange "arms" that are fused at the top.

This fungus gives off a strong, putrid odor that comes from the dark green, slimy material (gleba) that is found on the inner surfaces of the arms.

One of these mushrooms (seen the next day) had no orange arms joined together.

 

 

 

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Netted Stinkhorn  - On one of the trails I noticed a particularly looking mushroom which was in the stage of decomposing; it was lying on the ground and many flies were around the top of this strange mushroom.

I took some photos mainly because of the beautiful "lace skirt" surrounding the lower part of the mushroom.

And as I found out this mushroom gets its name from the fishnet-like veil or skirt below the mushroom's head. This white lace skirt, usually grows at night and fully unfolds in about 10 to 15 hours.

 

 

 

 

Elegant Stinkhorn - September 1, 4, 2020; DuPont Foret
Stinky Squid Stinkhorns -August 28, 31, 2022; Pisgah Forest

Netted Stinkhorn - August 26,2022; DuPont Forest