February Foraging Forecast
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Central Texas after rain.
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Central Texas after rain.
WOOD BLEWIT Collybia species, formerly Lepista, Clitocybe
Distinct lilac to purple-pink color
Grows in and decomposes leaf duff
Light pink to white spores
Great in breakfast tacos
As the weather stays cool, look out for the edible Wood Blewit, Collybia nuda or tarda species (formerly Lepista and Clitocybe.) This distinct lavender-colored mushroom is found from fall through spring and fruiting in hardwood leaf duff which is decomposes. Fresh wood blewits are great with eggs in breakfast tacos. As they get older they become more tan and iridescent colored on the cap and taste bitter. I throw the older wood blewits my compost leaf pile because they are such great decomposers and will colonize and grow in hardwood leaf litter.
Look-alikes: Be warned because there are deadly, poisonous look-alikes in the Cortinarius or webcap family that grow in similar conditions. It's important to do a spore print AND also confirm the ID with an expert. The spores of the wood blewit are light pink to white and the spores of Cortinarius mushrooms are rust colored. See our blog post with lots of photos and details to help you identify this mushroom.
OYSTER Pleurotus ostreatus
Color can vary white, tan and gray
White to cream gills, run down stem
Cap fan shaped, 2"-8" across, white spores
Grows in clusters and decomposes hardwood
Delicious meat replacement in all types of cuisines
Look-alikes: Southern Jack-o-lantern, Omphalotus subilludens which is toxic and orange to brown in color.
WOOD EAR: Auricularia species
Grows in clusters on decaying hardwood after rain
Cap is wavy, ear-shaped to irregular, 1-4" and > 1/4" thick
Jelly texture and lacks gills or pores
Produces white spores
Absorbs flavors, great in soups, contains protein, iron, calcium and phosphorus
Edibility: Wood ear mushrooms are a popular ingredient in many Chinese dishes, such as hot and sour soup, and also used in Chinese medicine. It is also used in Ghana, as a blood tonic. Modern research into possible medical applications has variously concluded that wood ear has anti-tumor, hypoglycemic, anticoagulant and cholesterol-lowering properties.
Look-alikes: Amber Jelly, Exidia recisa which is also edible.
TURKEY TAIL Trametes versicolor
Variable coloration, distinct striping pattern
Grows in overlapping clusters on logs and stumps
No gills, pores are small and round, white to light brown
Tough, leathery flesh
Medicinal and can be brewed into a tea, broth, or extracted into a tincture.
Look-alikes: False turkey tail. or Stereum ostrea and is non-toxic. Mushroom Expert has a useful check list to determine if it is true medicinal turkey tail.
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Membership benefits include early access and discounts to walks, workshops, and more. Your membership helps support the larger community! Tag us to get help with ID and add your observations to iNaturalist.org. If you are trying a new mushroom, confirm the ID with an expert, then try a small amount to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction. Texas Mushroom Identification Facebook group is great for quick responses and ID help. Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist.
Follow my adventures @forage.atx.
January Foraging Forecast
As the weather continues to cool, look out for the edible Wood Blewit, Clitocybe Nuda. This distinct lavender-colored mushroom is found in hardwood leaf litter and is a great decomposer.
BLEWIT: As the weather continues to cool, look out for the edible Wood Blewit, Clitocybe nuda. This distinct lavender-colored mushroom is found in hardwood leaf litter and is a great decomposer. Be warned because there are deadly, poisonous look-alikes in the Cortinarius family that grow in similar conditions. It's important to do a spore print AND also confirm the ID with an expert. The spores of the wood blewit are light pink to white and the spores of Cortinarius mushrooms are rust colored. Check out this blog post with lots of photos to help you with the correct ID.
Fresh wood blewits are great with eggs in breakfast tacos. As they get older they become more tan and iridescent colored on the cap and taste bitter. I throw the older wood blewits my compost leaf pile because they are such great decomposers and will colonize and grow in hardwood leaf litter.
OYSTER: Continue to keep an eye out for Oyster Mushrooms, Pleurotus ostreatus grows on dead black willows and oaks. There have been several observed along creeks and rivers recently.
TURKEY TAIL: The medicinal mushroom Turkey Tail, Trametes versicolor will also flush after rain on downed hardwood logs, stumps and, occasionally, on conifer wood. Make sure the underside is porous and white because it can look a lot like False turkey tail. Mushroom Expert has a useful check list to determine if it is true medicinal turkey tail.
As always, if you are trying a new mushroom, confirm the ID with an expert, then try a small amount to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction. Texas Mushroom Identification Facebook group is great for quick responses and ID help. Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist.
Follow my adventures @forage.atx.
April Foraging Forecast
Shoehorn Oyster Mushrooms, Hohenbuehelia petaloides is distinctively shaped; its "petaloid" habit often makes it look like a shoehorn with gills, or a rolled-up funnel.
WOOD BLEWIT: Keep a look out for the edible Wood Blewit, Clitocybe Nuda. They also fruit after a freeze. This distinct lavender-colored mushroom is found in hardwood leaf litter and is a great decomposer. Be warned because there are deadly, poisonous look-alikes in the Cortinarius family that grow in similar conditions. It's important to do a spore print AND also confirm the ID with an expert. The spores of the wood blewit are light pink to white and the spores of Cortinarius mushrooms are rust colored. I wrote up a blog post with lots of photos and details to help you identify this mushroom.
Fresh wood blewits are great with eggs in breakfast tacos. As they get older they become more tan and iridescent colored on the cap and taste bitter. I throw the older wood blewits my compost leaf pile because they are such great decomposers and will colonize and grow in hardwood leaf litter.
SHOEHORN OYSTER: Shoehorn Oyster Mushrooms, Hohenbuehelia petaloides is distinctively shaped; its "petaloid" habit often makes it look like a shoehorn with gills, or a rolled-up funnel. Other identifying features include its fairly crowded whitish gills, a white spore print, mealy odor and taste—and, under the microscope, gorgeous "metuloids" (thick-walled pleurocystidia). It often appears in clusters in urban, semi-urban, or even household settings, and is frequently associated with woody debris (though it does not usually grow directly from dead wood) or cultivated soil. However, it can be found in woodland settings, too, where it tends to grow alone or in small groups.
TURKEY TAIL: The medicinal mushroom Turkey Tail, Trametes versicolor will also flush after rain on downed hardwood logs, stumps and, occasionally, on conifer wood. Make sure the underside is porous and white because it can look a lot like False turkey tail. Mushroom Expert has a useful check list to determine if it is true medicinal turkey tail.
WOOD EAR: Auricularia americana, an edible jelly fungus pops up on downed hardwood limbs a few days after a good rain. Wood ear mushrooms are a popular ingredient in many Chinese dishes such as hot and sour soup, and is also used in Chinese medicine. It is also used in Ghana as a blood tonic. Modern research into possible medical applications has variously concluded that wood ear has anti-tumor, hypoglycemic, anticoagulant and cholesterol-lowering properties.
As always, if you are trying a new mushroom, confirm the ID with an expert, then try a small amount to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction. Texas Mushroom Identification Facebook group is great for quick responses and ID help. Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist.
Follow my foraging adventures @forage.atx.
March Foraging Forecast
As the weather continues to cool, look out for the edible Wood Blewit, Clitocybe Nuda. This distinct lavender-colored mushroom is found in hardwood leaf litter and is a great decomposer.
MOREL: As the dewberries blossom, the choice edible morel, Morchella sp. starts to flush in Central Texas. These distinctive fungi have a honeycomb appearance due to the network of ridges with pits composing their caps. I'm already thinking about how to preserve morels so I can pair them with dewberries.
I found my first morels in Texas last year just as the pandemic shut everything down. SXSW was canceled and in my new found free-time I wandered near creeks looking under junipers for the honeycombed, yellow mushrooms. Morels have a mycorrhizal relationship with hardwood trees. In Texas, they are found near cedars or Juniperus ashei. They have a preference for soil with limestone and can be found near creeks but I have also observed them in boggy areas far away from creeks. They are illusive but do require moisture from rain. There is a lot of hope for this morel season because they need at least six weeks of freezing temperatures to grow but obviously they have adapted to our shorter winters in Texas. Be sure to tag us if you find any morels this season.
False Morels (Gyromitra carolina, Verpa species, Helvella species)
WOOD BLEWIT: As the weather continues to cool, look out for the edible Wood Blewit, Clitocybe Nuda. This distinct lavender-colored mushroom is found in hardwood leaf litter and is a great decomposer. Be warned because there are deadly, poisonous look-alikes in the Cortinarius family that grow in similar conditions. It's important to do a spore print AND also confirm the ID with an expert. The spores of the wood blewit are light pink to white and the spores of Cortinarius mushrooms are rust colored. I wrote up a blog post with lots of photos and details to help you identify this mushroom.
Fresh wood blewits are great with eggs in breakfast tacos. As they get older they become more tan and iridescent colored on the cap and taste bitter. I throw the older wood blewits my compost leaf pile because they are such great decomposers and will colonize and grow in hardwood leaf litter.
OYSTER: Continue to keep an eye out for Oyster Mushrooms, Pleurotus ostreatus grows on dead black willows and oaks. There have been several observed along creeks and rivers recently.
TURKEY TAIL: The medicinal mushroom Turkey Tail, Trametes versicolor will also flush after rain on downed hardwood logs, stumps and, occasionally, on conifer wood. Make sure the underside is porous and white because it can look a lot like False turkey tail. Mushroom Expert has a useful check list to determine if it is true medicinal turkey tail.
WOOD EAR: Auricularia americana, an edible jelly fungus pops up on downed hardwood limbs a few days after a good rain. Wood ear mushrooms are a popular ingredient in many Chinese dishes, such as hot and sour soup, and also used in Chinese medicine. It is also used in Ghana, as a blood tonic. Modern research into possible medical applications has variously concluded that wood ear has anti-tumor, hypoglycemic, anticoagulant and cholesterol-lowering properties.
As always, if you are trying a new mushroom, confirm the ID with an expert, then try a small amount to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction. Texas Mushroom Identification Facebook group is great for quick responses and ID help. Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist.
Follow my adventures @forage.atx.
December Foraging Forecast
With the cool, rainy December weather look out for Snow Fungus, Tremella fuciformis. Sam and the crew found this beautiful jelly fungus during the Plant and Mushroom Walk at Circle Acres this past weekend. It has been cultivated in Asia for hundreds of years and is used in everything from desserts, soups, and cosmetic products.
With the cool, rainy December weather look out for Snow Fungus, Tremella fuciformis. Sam and the crew found this beautiful jelly fungus during the Plant and Mushroom Walk at Circle Acres this past weekend. It has been cultivated in Asia for hundreds of years and is used in everything from desserts, soups, and cosmetic products.
Keep an eye out for Oysters, Pleurotus ostreatus on dead black willows and oaks.
The medicinal mushroom Turkey Tail, Trametes versicolor is also flushing after rain. Make sure the underside is white because it looks a lot like False turkey tail.
Look for Reishi, the "Mushroom of Immortality" or Ganoderma species on dying or dead Pecan trees. If the top of the shelf looks red and varnished and the underside is still white, it is still good to harvest for medicinal purposes.
As always, if you are trying a new mushroom, confirm the ID with an expert, then try a small amount to make sure you don't have an allergic reactions. Texas Mushroom Identification Facebook group is great for quick responses and ID help. Click images to learn more and to see where to find them! Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist. Follow my adventures @forage.atx.
November Foraging Forecast
Chicken-of-the-Woods, Laetiporus sulphureus will continue to flush on older, Live Oaks. I was finding them into November but make sure they are still moist on the inside. We found some during the Halloween foray that were already past their prime. They can be mealy and hard to eat if they are not moist on the inside and soft and fleshy on the outside.
Chicken-of-the-Woods, Laetiporus sulphureus will continue to flush on older, Live Oaks. I was finding them into November but make sure they are still moist on the inside. We found some during the Halloween foray that were already past their prime. They can be mealy and hard to eat if they are not moist on the inside and soft and fleshy on the outside.
We found some Oysters, Pleurotus ostreatus flushing on dead black willows as well so keep a look out for this choice edible
The medicinal mushroom Turkey Tail, Trametes versicolor is also flushing after rain. Make sure the underside is white because it looks a lot like False turkey tail.
Ringless Honey Mushroom, Desarmillaria tabescens have also been popping up all over Austin in large clusters at the bases of trees (when the clusters appear to be terrestrial they are actually growing from underground wood) in late summer and fall. This parasitic fungus is part of a genus that is the largest living organism ever found on this planet.
As always, if you are trying a new edible mushroom for the first time, confirm the ID with an expert, then try a small amount to make sure you don't have an allergic reactions. Texas Mushroom Identification Facebook group is great for quick responses and ID help. Click images to learn more and to see where to find them! Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist. Follow my adventures @forage.atx.
October Foraging Forecast
Chicken-of-the-Woods, Laetiporus sulphureus will continue to flush on live oaks. I was finding them into November but make sure they are still moist on the inside. I have seen COTW grow to prime size and moisture in around 3 days. Also keep an eye out for oysters on blac
Chicken-of-the-Woods, Laetiporus sulphureus will continue to flush on old, live oaks. I was finding them into November but make sure they are still moist on the inside. They can be mealy and hard to eat if they are not moist on the inside. I imagine that the texture feels somewhat like a bioport from the movie eXistenZ. I recently watched this late 90's Cronenberg movie starring Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh so BE CAREFUL when handling a bioport. I have seen COTW grow to prime size and moisture in around 3 days. Also keep an eye out for oysters on black willows and oaks. If we get rain we may also see some fall oysters.
Click images to learn more and to see where to find them! Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist. Follow my adventures @forage.atx.
September Foraging Forecast
Even though August is very hot with very little rainfall, you will start to see Chicken of the Woods, Laetiporus sulphureus start to flush from exposed and damaged heartwood of Texas Escarpment Oaks. It is said to be one of the more easy to recognize mushrooms because of its large size and striking sulphur-yellow to orange color. Some people say that the fungus possesses a remarkably similar texture and taste to chicken. It is advised to just collect young specimens, being bright yellow to orange, as older specimens, being dull yellow to white, become rather woody with age and often developing an acrid flavor.
With tropical storm activity in the gulf, expect rainfall and then expect mushrooms. Chicken of the Woods, Laetiporus sulphureus will continue to flush on live oaks. Look for Reishi, the "Mushroom of Immortality" or Ganoderma species on dying or dead Pecan trees. If the top of the shelf looks red and varnished and the underside is still white, it is still good to harvest for medicinal purposes.
Click images to learn more and to see where to find them! Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist. Follow my adventures @forage.atx.
August Foraging Forecast
Even though August is very hot with very little rainfall, you will start to see Chicken of the Woods, Laetiporus sulphureus start to flush from exposed and damaged heartwood of Texas Escarpment Oaks. It is said to be one of the more easy to recognize mushrooms because of its large size and striking sulphur-yellow to orange color. Some people say that the fungus possesses a remarkably similar texture and taste to chicken. It is advised to just collect young specimens, being bright yellow to orange, as older specimens, being dull yellow to white, become rather woody with age and often developing an acrid flavor.
Even though August is very hot with very little rainfall, you will start to see Chicken of the Woods, Laetiporus sulphureus start to flush from exposed and damaged heartwood of Texas Escarpment Oaks. It is said to be one of the more easy to recognize mushrooms because of its large size and striking sulphur-yellow to orange color. Some people say that the fungus possesses a remarkably similar texture and taste to chicken. It is advised to just collect young specimens, being bright yellow to orange, as older specimens, being dull yellow to white, become rather woody with age and often developing an acrid flavor.
Click images to learn more and to see where to find them! Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist. Follow my adventures @forage.atx.
July Foraging Forecast
With the recent rain, chanterelle season may go into July. Last July 4th, I spotted a Lobster Mushroom in McKinney Roughs so anything is possible when it continues to rain. Click images to learn more and to see where to find them! Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist. Follow my adventures @forage.atx.
