Nature: mushrooms: Agaricus hondensis

Self-tutoring about mushrooms: the tutor mentions a random find.

I love little “green spaces” you see between buildings: you never know what you might find there. Near here is a particular one, about 150 ft long and maybe 30 ft wide, which hosts tall Douglas firs. Its floor is mainly bare.

This season, that little rectangle of nature, bounded one side by a school parking lot and the other by backyards, has displayed numerous gems of nature – birds and mushrooms. Two days ago, walking by it, I noticed it’s produced a bloom of Agaricus hondensis.

Agaricus hondensis is poisonous. The ones in that green space are numerous, and some very large (I’d say the largest has stalk 20cm high, with cap 20cm wide.) Some grow alone, but others occur in clusters. Some are already very mature, with their caps curling upward at the edge. Most striking are their chocolate-brown gills, noticeable because numerous of the mushrooms have either fallen over or been kicked.

With the stormy weather we’ve had this autumn, complemented by still, sunny days, very particular conditions have developed, even if for a short time only. However, that’s just what invites mushrooms to bloom, as I understand.

Who knows what’s coming next?:)

Source:

zoology.ubc.ca