Agaricus hondensis?

For three years now I have seen this "Meadow Mushroom" on one of my frequented walks. The first year I saw it, it was growing practically out of a newly deposited pile of fill, very gravely and barren. It had been trampled by children, so I only looked at it briefly. The second year the gravel had been taken away for use in trail construction, but the mushrooms were there in the same spot. They were soggy and buggy, so I did not bring one home.

Agaricus hondensis?

Today I found the patch not in the exact spot, but further up the trail by a couple of yards. They seemed firm and smelled nice, so I brought three home. There was something unsettling about their shape however, so I did some research.

Or possibly Agaricus moelleri

Both Agaricus moelleri and hondensis have more substantial rings than Agaricus campestris (Meadow Mushroom). The more mature of the three specimen has a largish felty ring so one strike against them being campestris.

Moelleri, however, does not have pink gills, which these specimens seem to have.

Hondensis is said to have "pinkish" gills when young, and the stipe is said to exhibit a phenolic odor (as does moelleri) which these specimens exibit. The stipe base of hondensis is also said to bruise light chrome yellow which this one seems to do. Hondensis is also said to prefer forested habitat, which is where I found these specimens.

So, despite it's pink gills (suggesting a Meadow Mushroom) and despite it's marshmallow shaped cap suggestive of moelleri, I will, for now, go with Agaricus hondensis.

Moellari is said to stain bright yellow at the very base of the stipe (the base of the three specimens I found were punky and beginning to rot so I could not use this test) and moellari sounds like it is more common, but still, I will stay with hondensis based on the colour of the gills.

I am open to comments from anyone who knows these mushrooms better than I.

Slimy Gomphidius (Gomphidius glutinosus)

I walked a long ways today and only found two Chanterelles and they were small and going brown at the edges.

The Slimy Gomphidius are out in fair abundance, however.

Here is the first one I spotted:

They were absolutely covered on the underside by little black jumping bugs:

There were a lot of little mushrooms growing on logs. In particular abundance were these little beauties:

Maybe Bleeding Mycena? Didn't try to see if they bleed...

Also some bright yellow ones I can't even begin to identify:

No clue what these are...

Thought at a distance these might be Winter Chanterelles, but nope, not sure what they are:

Not a clue...

Ok, this one I think I know:

Think it is Shaggy Stalked Parasol (Lepiota clypeolaria)

Shaggy Stalked Parasol (Lepiota clypeolaria)

See the whole album of photos from today here: https://plus.google.com/photos/103797335525010294456/albums/5810118236297268497?authkey=CImN07u42LDiwAE

Recommended Workshop -- Beginner's Wild Edible Plants and Mushrooms with Jessica Wolf

I have taken two of Jessica Wolf's workshops and found them to be interesting and informative. Jessica is a great presenter and guide, both for kids and adults, and very knowledgeable about mushrooms. I recommend her workshops highly.

Lycoperdon perlatum, Gem-studded Puffball

Probably Lycoperdon perlatum, Gem-studded Puffball

First sighting of the Gem Studded Puffball in an area I have seen them before. It was September 18, 2010 when I found one big enough to take home and eat. I was not impressed with the flavor.

These usually appear from July to October, so again, we have evidence that the fruiting season this year is a month or more behind.