Friday, June 03, 2011

Name That Mushroom!

I was digging out some large and lush dandelions growing from below the thinning layer of bark mulch yesterday -- when I saw a pattern among the bark that drew my eye:

I have no experience with mushrooms, but this looks like a morel to me. However, it also looks like the false morel, Verpa bohemica. Northern Saskatchewan is a popular hunting ground for wild mushrooms, including pine mushrooms, morels, and chanterelles. The Saskatchewan government Agriculture website states that there are two mushrooms that look like morels, but are NOT morels, so I'll be careful and not eat them.
Lewisia cotyledon "Regenbogen" (Rainbow) in the alpine/rock garden:

Pulsatilla vulgaris has gone to seed, leaving these pretty fuzzy seedheads:

While in Saskatoon this past week, I browsed through Garden Architecture & Design. It is a very pretty place in summer, with plants artfully arranged among garden furniture, pots, and statuary. I brought home this little friend, which matches the rustic look of our yard. RLM (resident-lawnmower-man) saw it and shook his head, muttering something about silly gardeners.

The junior gardeners love my choice of statuary, so RLM will have to live with it. I enjoy browsing nice garden places as if they were spa experiences. However, instead of coming out with manicured nails and massaged hands, I add to the garden's beauty.

4 comments:

Cicero Sings said...

I've got two morels in my yard too! and 6 brain mushrooms. Now I know the brain mushrooms are bad news but I'm not totally positive on my morels either. First year the morels have appeared in my yard but it has been a wet spring. I have seen them on a wooded deer trail not too far away.

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Last year I posted this pic of mushrooms in my backyard to the Edmonton Mycological Society so that their members could take a look http://www.flickr.com/photos/ms_s/4684303062/in/photostream. They positively identified them as morels, saying that the fact that they were hollow was the giveaway. Still, I didn't eat them or let my toddler handle them just to be safe. :)

You might want to check with your local society for their input.

Anonymous said...

I've got a Mushrooms field guide published by Lone Pine, really handy when trying to identify fungi. You've photographed a couple of really healthy looking black morels.

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty sure those ARE morels. They look a lot like black morels. I'd say research black morels before you eat them, but those do not look like false morels.