Despite being surprised by the park fee, we had an impressive group of people on this walk. We were hoping to find morels, but found none. Perhaps the season for that choice mushroom is unofficially over.
There were several other very interesting and challenging mushrooms, of which two were difficult to identify much beyond the genus. Peter and I arrived before everyone else and were ecstatic to see several groups of mushrooms in the distance by the picnic tables. Were we seeing the brown-spored Agaricus or the purple-black- spored Stropharia?
We determined pretty quickly that we had a Stropharia and concluded that they were Stropharia rugosoannulata, the winecaps. All sizes, however, were rather bleached of color - even the buttons. Still we felt confident that we had lots of winecaps to offer everyone once the walk started.
Observant Kathy Brandt questioned our identification noting rightly that all the specimens - from those barely emerging from the soil to mature examples were all whitish-yellowish (or yellowish-whitish). The only other Stropharia in our area of the country that could match that description is Stropharia hardii, though specimens I have seen were more yellow-ochre in color, moist and summer-fruiting. These specimens were all rather dried out, especially the mature ones, and looking a lot like winecaps. Since they didn't smell like winecaps, we decided to be cautious and forget about eating them. If they turned out to be Stropharia hardii, they may be barely palatable if not poisonous.
When I got back home, I researched my field guides and the internet and learned that there is at least one 'white' variety of Stropharia rugosoannulata. JJ Murphy had taken one mushroom home to cook up and try - she reported to me that she ate it, liked the taste and survived. Then a couple of days later, George Johanson told me he was finding what he thought might be an unusual form of Stropharia rugosoannulata - it was white and was everywhere he looked on wood chips. This year is the first that he recalls ever seeing this variety. It is a first for me, too. Anyway, he cooked up a lot and found them delicious. Finding a relatively uncommon variety of a common mushroom is a high point for me.

Other fungi found included Polyporus squamosus, the edible Dryad Saddle, Schizophyllum commune, Favolus alveolaris, Auricularia auricula, Tricholomopsis platyphylla, Agrocybe praecox or acericola and an Amanita in the Lepidella group. The latter at first glance looked like a non-blackening Coprinus comatus (of, course there are none that don't deliquesce). On closer examination we noted the bulbous, radicating stem, the broad gills and the hollow stipe. We noted that there was no 'old ham' smell as is the case with some of the larger Amanitas in this radicating section. Hmmmmm.

Other things we saw up close were a toad, a turtle and a new-born fawn.

Click on each photo to see a larger version.

Dianna