Tag Archives: Tanoaks

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Yesterday on our morning walk with Huckleberry, our golden retriever, Rick noticed the first Horn of Plenty mushrooms growing at the base of a redwood step. They are also called by the rather ominous name of Trumpet of Death but that is because of their somber color. These are growing under Tanoaks, a hardwood. They are deliciously edible and their appearance is most welcome!

On Thursday Rick and I were having breakfast at The Sea Ranch Lodge. It is one of the premium places to whale watch as the Gray Whales come in close just in front of the bluffs there. Sure enough, a large Gray Whale appeared, as close as we've ever seen one. It stayed on the surface for several minutes before diving and disappearing to the south.

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Craig Tooley recently took this photo of beautiful clouds from the bluffs of The Sea Ranch. And the Pacific Ocean abides. Just lovely.

 Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo here.  To see more of his work, here is a link to his web site: http://ruffimage.com/

And on a recent walk Rick and I could only look from afar at these Oyster Mushrooms at least twenty feet high on a Tanoak snag. We were wishing we were able to levitate so we could harvest some for our meal.

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It's a small wild mushroom but it packs a punch. It's the Candy Cap, Lactarius fragilis. On Monday Rick and I found the first of these delicious mushrooms blooming under Tanoak and Bishop Pine. This mushroom is only found on the Pacific Coast and the Southeast so other parts of the world will have to imagine the heady aroma it has. When dried Candy Caps smell like maple syrup.

 When the gills are brushed they ooze or bleed a white milk, letting you know you've found Candy Caps. Yellow bleeding Milk Caps are to be avoided, according to David Arora.

And as promised, here's a look at what happens to a Coccora after some rain. It looks like a science project!

Here's a link to see what the Coccoras looked like before the rain caused this mold: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/11/07/beautiful-coccoras-and-last-nights-sunset/

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Queen Boletes, Boletus aereus, fruited in profusion on Friday. A friend, Rick and I found five perfect mushrooms. They are delicious! The ones on our property in Anchor Bay are growing near Tanoaks and mixed conifers. David Arora writes in "Mushrooms Demystified" that they are found in mixed woods and under hardwoods.

Many people confuse these with King Boletes, Boletus edulis, and it really doesn't matter - they are both choice edible mushrooms. They are gifts in the forest. Here's a link to a photo of the biggest King Bolete I've ever seen: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/10/17/the-biggest-king-bolete-ive-ever-seen-was-found-in-the-manchester-area-a-few-days-ago/

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Rick and I, along with our friends Nan Brichetto and Frank Drouillard, went on a hike this morning with our two Golden Retrievers. We were shocked and amazed to come across this large group of Oyster Mushrooms, Pleurotus ostreatus. They normally are found later in the fall and winter but I guess our weather has been so cool that they decided to make an early appearance. They are, of course, edible and delicious!

They were fruiting on a downed Tanoak, a hardwood that grows on the Mendonoma Coast. In this next picture they look like gardenias!

And we aren't the only creatures that covet these fungi. Check out the Banana Slugs feasting on these mushrooms on the picture below.

A gift in the forest - thank you Mother Nature!
To see another early fruiting mushroom, a Dyer's Polypore, click on this link:
http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/08/26/dyers-polypore-a-wild-mushroom-continues-to-evolve-continues-to-fascinate/
      My best to you today, Jeanne Jackson