Story and Photographs by Joan Herrmann

Whereiwander… after much-needed rain, it is to the meadow, the woods, and the gardens. I am anxious to see what wonderful new growth may be found because it only takes a few days for the multitude of fungi that have also been waiting for these autumn showers to flourish. I am not looking for edible mushrooms. The ones I prefer to find and photograph are the beautiful showy, and colorful mushrooms and polypores. Even though a few may actually be edible, I chose to photograph them and leave the picking for others who are more proficient and know which are truly edible. I prefer to buy these appetizing foods from a local grocery store.

Also, many of the extraordinary mushrooms which I find are not the least bit appealing as food. For instance, no one would find the Skirted or Netted Stinkhorn (Dictyophora duplicata) the least bit appetizing. They do attract numerous flies because of their foul stench, which is the purpose of their nasty odor. This large mushroom is more than seven inches tall with a pitted head that is covered with an olive green sticky, slimy and smelly “spore-mass.” Its putrid smell attracts flies which will eat spore mass and carry away the spores, which will begin a new reproductive progression for this fungus. Below the “head” of the mushroom is the “skirt,” which almost appears to be crocheted and provides a waiting site for more flies.

Mushrooms may be very colorful, just like a large box of Crayola crayons. I have found a Mustard colored mushroom and one that was a Burnt Sienna color. Have you ever wondered why one of the crayons is called Burnt Sienna and another Burnt Umber? Sienna and Umber are the names of two cities in Italy. Soil from these two cities, when burnt, may be used as a pigment for making that color paint. Before the soil color is burnt, if used for pigment, it is then called Raw Sienna or Raw Umber.

In addition to the many interesting colors, mushrooms can also be found in fascinating shapes and bear interesting patterns. Some mushrooms resemble sea coral while others look like tiny umbrellas and still others resemble jelly or gummy bear candies. The mushroom, whether it is cup-shaped, coral, or polypore, is the fruiting body or reproductive structure of a fungus; it is the part that is visible to us. The rest of the fungus is underground and is the vegetative body of the fungus, which is made up of multiple fine filaments called hyphae. Mushrooms, for identification purposes, have been divided into groups according to the appearance of the fruiting bodies and reproductive structure. Groups that can be seen this time of year include jelly fungi, puffballs, polypores, coral fungi, tooth fungi, boletes, stinkhorns, and chanterelles.

A favorite fungus that may be difficult to find when it is fruiting (showing its tiny greenish-blue cup shape) leaves behind a noticeable stain on decaying hardwood logs that is a curiosity. Its common name is Green Stain (Chlorociboria aeruginascens). The stain which it creates may appear that someone may have used a greenish blue marker to color the wood. Each minute cup-shaped fruiting body of this fungus is probably smaller than your little fingernail. The cups may be found from June through November, and although the cups are hard to find, the stain which is left on the wood can be seen all year long.

Just recently, a family member had a procedure at a local hospital scheduled to take a few hours. I chose to wait outside the hospital in a lovely landscaped area with a bench. After sitting for several minutes, I got up a looked closer at the gardens. I was truly surprised to see numerous mushrooms growing throughout the gardens. The prettiest ones were a brilliant yellow color and looked like they had sugar crystals adorning their caps. I knew immediately that they are also not edible and poisonous, but they are very photogenic. There were at least ten specimens and several different stages of growth. The common name is Yellow Patches (Amanita flavoconia). It prefers a habitat near oak, birch, and conifer, which were part of the hospital grounds landscape.

While hiking with several friends recently, we discovered numerous species of mushrooms. The first sighting was a group of Alcohol Inky (Coprinus altramentarius). They prefer to grow in tall grass and wood debris or near buried wood. While reading more about this species, I was surprised to learn about a derivation of its name. I learned it is edible. However, after eating them, you should not drink any kind of alcohol for one to two days. If you do, within thirty minutes, you may experience flushing of your face and neck, tingling of fingers and toes, headache, and nausea. This is because the mushroom inactivates an enzyme that detoxifies alcohol in the body. I am told that recovery is usually spontaneous within a few hours.

Polypores are generally found growing on both living and dead trees. Artist fungus (Ganoderma applantatum) is easily recognized and fairly easy to find. It is the one that many artists have used as a canvas for their artwork. A friend used to like to create mini landscapes. She shared a story with me about her grandfather, who was a doctor in the Adirondacks in the late 1880s, and his drawings on Artist Fungus are still a family treasure. Quite often, while attending to a woman about to give birth, he would fill the waiting time by creating tiny landscapes on an artist fungus and sign and date them.

While hiking in the woods, there are several other polypores that you may also discover. Tinder polypore (Fomes formentarius), which resembles a horse’s hoof, can be helpful when starting a campfire. Hemlock Varnish Shelf (Ganoderma tsugae) is a unique polypore that looks like it has been shellacked. Another interesting one is Resinous Polypore (Ischnoderma resinosum), which appears to have rain drops or dew on it, but don’t touch it because the resin is sticky and difficult to remove from your fingers.

Fungi are essential in our lives, particularly when we become aware of their role in our ecosystem. The decaying of wood, in which fungi break down the lignin and cellulose, returning astonishing levels of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is truly amazing. Fungi play a large role in getting us or keeping us healthy. Certain medicines like antibiotics and some of the anti-rejection drugs that are used in organ transplants rely solely on fungi.

Autumn is such an amazing time of year to hike, bike, and photograph. I truly hope to see you whereiwander.

As a Professional Nature Photographer, Naturalist, and Outdoor Educator, Joan Herrmann has been teaching and doing programs for Schools, Garden Clubs, Libraries, and Nature Centers, for about 38 years. After moving from the Rochester area in 1995, she began her Photography business, Essence of Nature, and also became a co-owner of The Artworks in Old Forge, New York. As a docent at Munson, Williams, Proctor Arts Institute in Utica, New York, she has been educating children and adults for nineteen years.

In 2007 she began working with the Black River Outdoor Educational Program (BROEP). In 2013 and 2014 did a week-long summer program at BROEP in conjunction with Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC). Using her love of both nature and photography, she created a Flora/Fauna outdoor educational program teaching students (ages 6 to 14) the joys of nature and creative photography skills.

Joan’s love of nature has been a lifelong study of Birds, Wildflowers, Mosses, Ferns, Trees, Amphibians, Reptiles, Grasses, Insects, Spiders, Tracks, Scat, and Galls. She has assisted in the cataloging of all trails used by the hiking Coaches and photographed and identified seasonal Flora.

Since October 2016, she has been writing a bi-monthly nature column with Adirondack Express Newspaper. In October of 2019, she began a bi-monthly column with the My Little Falls Newspaper. You may reach her at jmhphoto8442@gmail.com.

LITTLE FALLS, NY – The Little Falls Cheese Festival committee has kicked off plans for the city’s seventh annual Cheese Festival, which will be held Saturday, October 1, 2022. This […]

Jack Hollingsworth, a world-famous iPhone photographer, will have a community presentation at 7 pm on October 10 and then a full-day workshop the next morning from 9 am until 5 […]

Jack Hollingsworth, a world-famous iPhone photographer, will have a full-day workshop from 9 am until 5 pm. He will cover smartphone camera basics, walk students around town for hands-on shooting […]

Chicken Schnitzel Dinner $14.00 October 20th 4-7 or sold out eat in-take out-walk ins Emmanuel Episcopal Church The Parish Hall 594 Albany St Little Falls free deliveries to Herkimer and […]

The Dolgeville - Manheim Library will be hosting a Sunday Salon featuring Bill Kardas, the anchor weatherman from WKTV, on October 30 at 2:00 PM. His weather predicting presentation will […]

My Little Falls is a local media company that generates interest in the Little Falls area.

Mounties suffer loss to Blue Devils in Thursday night action wp.me/pa2OK5-dkJ #mylittlefalls ... See More See Less

Mounties suffer loss to Blue Devils in Thursday night action - My Little Falls

Tomorrow, it's all about the Cheese wp.me/pa2OK5-dkB #mylittlefalls ... See More See Less

Tomorrow, it's all about the Cheese - My Little Falls

Stop in to Joyfuls Vintage Designs! We have handmade cheese boards! Get one while they last!

Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress

Join our mailing list to receive the top stories each week in your inbox. 

(C) 2020 My Little Falls, LLC. All Rights Reserved.