Chimney Rock State Park Foray – Aug 14, 2011
Foray Leader: Charlotte Caplan
Mycologist: Dr. Coleman McCleneghan
Twenty-one club members, plus Coleman’s student, Alexis (Lexie), met in the meadow area at Chimney Rock State Park at 10:00 AM. In the morning, we forayed in two groups, one following the “Great Woodland Adventure Trail” and the other a less well-defined trail in the forest nearby. Both trails feature some of the oldest undisturbed forest in the Park, primarily mixed hardwoods on a gentle to moderate slope. Conditions were fairly
dry and our collections featured mainly the smaller species rather than large (or edible) ones. Fortunately, Coleman had brought with her several good specimens from Watauga County to add to the display.
After eating lunch in the picnic shelter, we rode in the Park’s shuttle bus up to up to the top of the park where the park staff had provided two large open tents at the far end of the parking area. We set out our specimens on some of the tables and got to work on identification, led by Coleman. Meanwhile Ginger Fisher and Barbara Rothrock set up other tables for children’s activities: - a coloring/art station, a build-your-own-mushroom station,
a mushroom science station, and a face painting/hand stamping station Lexie took on the face painting and did an awesome job.
Park attendance has been down this year because of major maintenance work on the elevator and parking area, so we had fewer visitors to our tables than last year. But those who came were evidently impressed by our display, and several children spent a lot of time with us.
We found and identified 41 species (down from 50 last year). It seems that Chimney Rock has yet to show us its full fungal potential. Perhaps next year we will be luckier with our timing. None the less, eight species were first records for the club, including Agaricus auricolor, with a striking cadmium yellow center to the cap, and the Black Jelly Oyster (Resupinatus applicatus), not uncommon but hard to spot. Falling over a log helps.
CC
Photos:
| Scientific Name |
Common Name |
On "Top 50" list |
First AMC Record |
| "Amanita fulva" |
Tawny Grisette |
T |
|
| "Amanita vaginata" |
Grisette |
|
|
| "Cantharellus cibarius" |
Golden Chanterelle |
T |
|
| Agaricus auricolor |
|
|
f |
| Amanita onusta |
Gunpowder Lepidella |
|
|
| Clitopilus prunulus |
Sweetbread Mushroom; The Miller |
|
|
| Cyathus striatus |
Fluted Bird's Nest |
|
|
| Dacrymyces minor |
|
|
f |
| Daedaleopsis confragosa |
Thin-Maze Polypore |
T |
|
| Daldinia concentrica |
Carbon Balls |
|
|
| Galiella rufa |
Hairy Rubber Cup |
|
|
| Ganoderma lucidum |
Varnish Shelf; Reishi |
|
|
| Geastrum fimbriatum |
Sessile Earthstar |
|
f |
| Gymnopus dryophilus = Collybia dryophila |
Common Collybia; Oak-loving Collybia |
|
|
| Gymnopus subnudus |
|
|
|
| Lactarius chrysorrheus |
Golden Drop Milky |
|
|
| Lactarius luteolus |
Buff Fishy Milky |
|
|
| Lenzites betulina |
Gilled polypore |
|
|
| Leucocoprinus cepaestipes = Lepiota cepaestipes |
Onion-stalked Lepiota |
|
|
| Marasmius rotula |
Pinwheel Marasmius |
|
|
| Megacollybia rodmani = egacollybia platyphylla |
Platterful mushroom; Broad Gill |
T |
|
| Mutinus elegans |
Dog Stinkhorn |
|
|
| Panellus stipticus |
Luminescent Panellus |
|
|
| Phellinus robiniae |
|
|
|
| Pleurotus ostreatus (complex) |
Oyster mushroom |
T |
|
| Polyporus elegans = P. varius |
Elegant Polypore; Black-footed Polypore |
|
|
| Resinomycena rhododendri |
|
|
|
| Resupinatus applicatus |
Black Jelly Oyster |
|
f |
| Russula crustosa |
|
|
|
| Russula variata |
Variable Russula |
|
|
| Schizophyllum commune |
Split Gill |
|
|
| Stereum complicatum = S. rameale |
Crowded Parchment; Golden Parchment |
|
|
| Stereum ostrea |
False Turkey Tail |
|
|
| Strobilomyces confusus or S. floccopus (= S. strobilaceus) |
Old Man of the Woods |
T |
|
| Tapinella atrotomentosa = Paxillus atromentosus |
Velvet-footed Pax |
T |
|
| Trametes elegans |
|
|
f |
| Trametes hirsuta |
|
|
|
| Trametes versicolor |
Turkey Tail |
T |
|
| Tremella reticulata |
|
|
f |
| Tylopilus atronicotianus |
|
|
f |
| Xerula furfuracea = Oudemansiella radicata = Hymenopellis furfuracea |
Rooted Agaric |
|
|
| Total species found: |
41 |
9 |
8 |
|
