Flagstaff August Part One
Rain every day (and a few overnights) meant there was plenty of fungi this trip! It also meant conditions were pretty much the same as July making photography challenging again. All but a few of my images were taken with either my Smartphone or my Canon compacts. They all got fairly wet at times but survived!
Hunting was most productive on the Inner Basin trail which starts at Lockett Meadow. The heavy rains have kept the forest and Aspen groves especially wet which is ideal for fungi. Some came up literally overnight after a heavy rain. These beautiful but poisonous Amanita are great examples.
Amanita Muscaria
Amanita pantherina
The trail starts at 8600 Feet and ascends to over 10,000 feet (3048 m). Yes…very steep! However, traveling at a snail’s pace looking for fungi, I didn’t notice the difficulty at all. In fact, I love the trail so much; I ended up hiking it 5 times while there. Each time I went, I saw more species. Following are some of my finds on the Inner Basin Trail. As you might imagine, they are only a fraction of the images I took! Identifying them is still very difficult for me but I am learning slowly but surely. Part Two will feature fungi from a few of my other favorite trails
Honey Mushrooms (edible)
Honey Mushrooms (edible)
Bracket Fungus
Pholiota – most common genus but so many shapes!
Pholiota – most common genus but so many shapes!
Strap Coral – First sighting
Unidentified beauty
Oyster Mushroom – edible
Russula
Several Bracket fungus caught my eye but there’s something else! (Ganoderma applanatum)
Looking very closely at the Fungus, I notece Pleasing Fungus Beetle Larva
Adult Pleasing Fungus Beetles doing their thing
Possibly Clitocybe maxima
Possibly Hygrophorus or Hygrocybe – aka “Waxy Caps”
Possibly Hygrophorus or Hygrocybe – aka “Waxy Caps”
Possibly Armillaria straminea
Marasmius aka Pinwheel mushroom. A pine needle decomposer
Gyromytra insula aka “Elfin Saddle”
