Tag Archives: Coccora mushrooms

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The skies are sunny, a welcome sight after all the rain we've had on the Mendonoma Coast. Rain followed by sun is the equation for wild mushrooms.

This lovely forest of Shaggy Manes, Coprinus comatus, sprung up near our property. This is the perfect stage to pick these edible mushrooms for eating. But you must use them right away as they will disintegrate before your very eyes. These were growing under California Bay Laurel, with Coast Redwoods and Bishop Pines close by.

And the first Coccora appeared several days ago, Amanita calyptroderma. This edible mushroom has a poisonous look-alike so you must be very knowledgeable and experienced to tell them apart. They are a beautiful mushroom to observe. The main area of Coccoras on our property has not yet fruited. This was growing on a neighbor's land in the sun and under Bishop Pine Trees with a Redwood or two nearby.

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Coccoras, Amanita calyptroderma, are delighting our senses with their beauty in the forest. Their nickname is Creamy Tops. Here is a photo I took this morning at our property in Anchor Bay.

To see some Coccora eggs that appeared a few weeks ago, click on this link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/10/26/coccora-mushrooms-just-peeking-up-through-the-duff-on-the-forest-floor-in-anchor-bay/

Last night's sunset shows a few remaining storm clouds. I love the way the sunlight is etched on the clouds.

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Over the past several days the Coccora eggs have blossomed into one of the most beautiful mushrooms on the coast. A dozen or so dot the forest at Rick's and my Anchor Bay home and many more are to come. Coccora, or Amanita calyptroderma, is an edible but only for the most experienced foragers. But you don't have to be experienced to enjoy its beauty.

Coccoras are found near red-barked Madrone, with which they have a mycorrihizal relationship - a relationship made in fungi heaven! To see the Coccora eggs, click on this link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/10/26/coccora-mushrooms-just-peeking-up-through-the-duff-on-the-forest-floor-in-anchor-bay/

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Coccora mushrooms, Amanita calyptroderma, are just poking up through the forest duff on our Anchor Bay property. They appear in the same place, year after year. A mushroom expert friend, Bev Vogt, identified them for Rick and me some years ago. She declared this part of our property, "Coccora heaven!"

In the days to come, the white you see below will adorn a golden-colored cap. These are edible, indeed considered choice by some. But with the creamy white top removed they can be confused with the Death Cap, Amanita phalloides. As the name implies, it is deadly poisonous.

I wouldn't eat a Coccora unless I had picked it myself. They are quite beautiful to look at. I will post a photograph here when they are in "full flower."