On Thursday the Pacific Ocean was putting on a show. Just look at the photo David Wayne Floyd took at Anchor Bay Beach.
White Matsutakes are beginning to pop. Rick and I found several recently on a neighbor's property in Anchor Bay in Mendocino County. Lucky for us they have given us permission to mushroom there! Here's a photo of Rick picking a perfect Matsutake.
Here is a link to see what the Matsutakes looked like at this spot several weeks ago:
http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/11/01/the-first-matsutakes-are-peeking-up-from-the-duff-in-mendocino-county/
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.
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/
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/