Tag Archives: Fly Amanita

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That's the title of David Arora's pocket field guide to mushrooms. And as he lives on the Mendonoma coast, pretty much all foragers here have this guide. Here are some mushrooms that have recently arrived on our property in Anchor Bay.

First I was happy to find a couple of Queen Boletes a few days ago. They have a darker cap than the Kings, and their stem isn't as fat. They are delicious. When I trim them and remove the sponge underneath the cap, I gather up the trimmings and scatter them outside in suitable habitat - yes, I'm hoping for more!

queen-bolete-by-jeanne-jackson Also fruiting in abundance now is the edible amanita, Coccora. These mushrooms have a deadly lookalike, so you must be extremely careful with  your identification. They are nicknamed "Creamy Tops," as one of their characteristics is a cottony-like white top. You can scrape it off with your finger.

coccoras-by-jeanne-jackson-2The Fly Amanitas are also up in abundant numbers. I love watching these mushrooms evolve as they grow. Arora will tell you they are edible if you parboil them twice, throwing out the water between boiling. I find them in sunny spots here.

fly-amanita-by-jeanne-jacksonIn this basket I also have Matsutakes. They are so distinctive, with their cinnamon smell. They grow in sandy soil.

a-basket-of-mushrooms-by-jeanne-jacksonThe wonderful rains have brought back mushrooms after five sub-par years. For the many critters in the forest that feast on them, including we two-legged critters, we rejoice in their return.

David Arora has a mushroom event coming up soon. To learn more, here is his website: http://www.davidarora.com/events.html

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Christmas morning dawned cold, yet exquisitely beautiful. This mushroom, the Fly Amanita, has been featured in holiday cards and thought to bring good luck. They are abundant now and so lovely to see and photograph. Mel Smith got this lovely photo.

Fly Amanita by Mel Smith (Large)Thanks to Mel for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

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What a season we are having this year with wild mushrooms. Hedgehog mushrooms, one of my favorites, are  up in abundance, as are Winter Chanterelles and Black Trumpets. One of the most distinctive mushrooms is the Fly Amanita. Jim  Garlock recently photographed one.

Fly Amanita by Jim Garlock

Rick and I went on a mushroom hunt last week, looking for edibles, of course. We found a treasure trove of Matsutakes! Also found was a Shaggy Man, Candy Caps, Black Trumpets and Hedgehogs.

Basket of edible mushrooms by Jeanne Jackson

Finding edible mushrooms in the forest is like finding treasure - a gift from Mother Nature.

Thanks to Jim for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

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Young Hannah Bonfils was hiking a trail at The Sea Ranch with her parents. She photographed several wild mushrooms. The first is the distinctive Fly Amanita, Amanita muscaria.

And the second photo, I believe, shows young Turkey Tails.

Here's what Hannah wrote: “I’m thirteen years old. My family and I were walking through a trail in Sea Ranch and noticed some magnificent-looking mushrooms. I took some great pictures of them.  After seeing these pictures, I think many people will be interested in looking at the mushrooms in their area.”

Thanks to Hannah for allowing me to share her photos with you here. She shows a lot of talent with a camera and I hope she will share more of her nature photos with us.

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The beautiful red-topped mushroom with the white spots, Fly Amanita, has begun to fruit on the Mendonoma Coast. Bob Schwein recently photographed a newly sprouted one being sampled by a Banana Slug.

Thanks to Bob for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

To see a beautiful holiday wreath made out of mature Fly Amanitas, here's the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/12/20/a-beautiful-fly-amanita-wreath-created-by-carol-kozal/