Last updated February 3, 2022. All photos by the author.
In 2020 I wrote a post titled Fungus, Lichen, Moss but since then I have noticed and photographed so many more fungi that I decided this fascinating kingdom of decomposers and parasites deserves a dedicated post. I have attempted to identify a few of these species, but it is difficult as many fungi have similar features and I’ve never taken a course in fungal identification or had an expert show me in nature which is which. If you want to try your hand at identifying macro-fungi in BC, try this website or get yourself a book.
As with any wild plant, do not eat any wild fungus unless you are 100% sure of its identity and always follow proper fungus tasting protocol.
It’s amazing what our minds pay attention to as we learn new things. Consciously observing my surroundings when outdoors has really opened my eyes and mind to things that must have always been there but that I didn’t notice before. Small fungi that I would have ignored in previous years are now vying for my attention to not step on them. Like this tiny yellow cap seen in the grass at a park in early December:
From above it blended in with the fallen leaves and yellowing grass, but because I have “trained” my mind recently to look for fungus I did not step on it.A tiny dark cap growing in a grassy urban park.The same mushroom from above.
Look down, look up, look under leaves and on fallen logs for the many many fungi growing in our neighbourhood.
These tiny white umbrellas were growing on a mossy tree stump.Some more tiny white mushrooms on a decomposing stump. Possibly the same species.
There is a group of fungi called polypores which can be found on tree trunks and fallen logs. Some are perennial (found year-round and growing bigger as they age) and some are not. This BC Technical Report says there are almost 200 known species in this province! One thing to help you identify polypores is to first identify the species of tree it is growing on.
Shiny with rain, this polypore has a beautiful reddish-brown upper surface. I believe it is growing on the trunk of a live big-leaf maple tree.Close-up side view of a polypore.A polypore on a fallen tree trunk.
A different kind of polypore on the side of a fallen log.
The tops of polypores have different colours and textures. I won’t even try to identify this one by species.
A different polypore which someone has removed from its log. The underside have different pores which can help with identification.This polypore looked like three merging together.
This polypore is more “hoof-like” than the others.
Yet another type of polypore. This one was not very large compared to the other and very dark-coloured on top.Polypores and at least one other type of fungus on a mossy, rotting log.I don’t know if these are polypores or different type of fungus. They look like little open mouths, more sea creature than forest dweller.
A violet fairy cup growing in my flower bed.
This fungus I did disturb, because it was growing in my yard. I think it came in on the mulch or a plant bulb. I put it back in the mulch but I never saw a violet fairy cup growing in my yard again after that summer.
I’m fairly confident these are sulphur tufts (Hypholoma fasciculare) as they are described as “probably the most common woodland mushroom”.
Some sulphur tufts that someone (not me!) has disturbed.
I read that one clue to a fungus’ identification is if there is a remnant of the top attached to the stem once it opens up, like this one.A different specimen that someone (not me!) has flipped over, perhaps to try to identify. You can also use the colour of the spores and the way the gills are attached and how they divide to help identify a fungus. The spores sprinkle out of the gills.
I am pretty sure these are shaggy mane mushrooms a.k.a. shaggy ink caps (Coprinus comatus). There were hundreds or thousands of them in the landscaping at an urban park. You can see the different stages of growth, from just pushing through the soil to starting to decay and turning inky (back left of photo).
This one is definitely a cauliflower mushroom (Sparassis crispa).
Cauliflower mushrooms can grow up to 50 cm across and are apparently delicious.
When I returned a week later all that remained was this stump. Someone had obviously harvested (and ate?) this beautiful specimen. I wonder if it will grow back in the same location next year?
Some delicate spongy-looking mushrooms on a rotting log.
I am fairly certain this is a tiger’s eye (Coltricia perennis).
Side view of the tiger’s eye.
Full view of the tiger’s eye.
Fungus or lichen on a fallen twig with some moss.Some mushrooms just pushing their way up through the humus.
Tiny spindly stalks support the small round caps of this mushroom.
From the side they look very weak, like the slightest breeze could destroy them. Notice the fallen mushroom on the right: you can see its dark gills where the spores fall from.
Puffballs! To release their spores they simply burst open.
First Peoples in BC used tree fungi (polypores). They were used for dye or paint, tanning hides, fire keeping (as “slow matches”), smudge against mosquitoes, caulking, scrubbing hands, and in ceremony. For more information see “Plant Technology of First Peoples in British Columbia” by Nancy. J. Turner.
So get outside this week, or any week, and look for fungi in the forests and yards near you. We (kingdom animalia) are more closely related to fungi than to plants (kingdom plantae), so when you find them say hello to your cousins.
Books:
“Fungi.” Plant Technology of First Peoples in British Columbia, by Nancy J. Turner, Royal British Columbia Museum, 2019, pp. 52-56.
“Fungi and Allies.” The Flora and Fauna of Coastal British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, by Collin Varner, Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd., 2018, pp. 157-193.
