The Ultimate "What is this Fungi?" thread.

[NetFrog]

@ exlaria - Sorry dude but your comments and their references almost seems like a personal attack on Geoff. If these were in any way attributed to my debate there then I would like to distance myself from them. From my small part in this forum I have found Geoff extremely helpful and informative, I may have debated slightly in the way Geoff approached fungi collection but he has my utmost respect in the knowledge and the willing to share it that he has shown. I do not think we need to bring forum to forum references and attempt to debunk his expertise in any way.

@ I stay far away from mushroom politics.

I did not realise there was such a thing ;-0

 

[Geoff Dann]

Geoff you were banned from WAB for misIDing a plate full of mycena pura and then eating them, then a few weeks later saying they were good for eating because you were fine, Weren't you?

No, I don't know where you got that story from. I was banned after a PM exchange with certain persons, where I challenged their policy on "no discussions about edibility." The real reason I was banned was for questioning authority - for refusing to simply accept the policy unquestioned. The attitude was "shut up and accept the policy, or we will ban you. We are in charge, and we don't even care what your opinion is." Not being much of a politician myself, I continued to "answer back" and they banned me.

And I did not misidentify the M. pura I ate. I knew what I was eating when I ate them. I may well have said later that I ate them and that nothing bad happened to me, but that's not why I was banned.

ETA: this discussion won't make much sense unless people know that Mycena pura/rosa is a [pair of] species that was once considered edible but is now known to contain toxins. What is not clear is how much you would have to consume before experiencing a problem. Phillips lists them as edible (although he's got a picture of rosa and labelled it pura.)

I stay far away from mushroom politics.

I wish it was that easy for me.

There was more to river cottage incident than either party says. There was some politic thing behind the scenes.

Yes.

 

[Geoff Dann]

a here we go first thread from wab
it is notable the amount of speciums of mycena pura/rosa that have been picked. It is simerlar number to what murcerykev picked for id.
and here is the second

I can remember quite clearly the day I picked those. There were pura and rosa both growing together, which was the first time I'd seen them next to each other. Only one of them is in Phillips and it is labelled wrongly - he's got a picture of rosa and it is labelled pura. They were also (both species) carpeting the woodland they came from. I could have picked hundreds of them.

I might also add that that was three years ago, and I've learned a lot about mushrooms since then. I've also had a lot more experience of people's posting habits, and been involved in discussions like this one with the ABFG, River Cottage and other places. That thread dates back to the time I first started posting on mushroom websites, and I had not much idea what I was getting into.

The thing with people that are really into fringe hobbies like fungi , is that they are often scoring high points on the aspergic scale. Very geeky people can be really wierd about their subject, and very concrete in their opinions. The ABFG view of foragers reminds of me this.

They can be a bit like that, yes. But I don't want to be their enemies. That is partly why I post on their board. I feel like I need belong to their community too, however geeky they may be.

I'm trying to take a balanced, informed attitude, but it is not always easy when the sides are as polarised as they are in this case.

 

[Harvestman]

Having read all of that, can I say that I think all sides have got their point across now?

Can we keep to the thread theme before it gets any further, please? My forum instincts are shouting that this might degenerate, and I'd hate to see this thread get closed.

I have no involvement in this particular debate, so I'll risk being told to mind my own business for the sake of an excellent thread that is a great resource for the forum.

 

[Geoff Dann]

Having read all of that, can I say that I think all sides have got their point across now?

Can we keep to the thread theme before it gets any further, please? My forum instincts are shouting that this might degenerate, and I'd hate to see this thread get closed.

I have no involvement in this particular debate, so I'll risk being told to mind my own business for the sake of an excellent thread that is a great resource for the forum.

I think this discussion is not out of place in this thread. At least it gives people the opportunity to make their own minds up, having heard a bit about what is a highly-politicised situation. But you're right, and we should get back to posting pictures of fungi...

 

[xylaria]

I wasn't having go at one individual. I learned fungi by picking them, really looking hard at them and doing spore prints. Everyone makes mistakes, I have always said when i comes to iding one mistake learns you three things 1] the name of what you really picked 2] what you think you picked 3] humility. I get really frustrated by fungi experts that have a go at anyone that doesnt leave pristine speciums in the field. I studied fungal reproduction at degree level, and I dont use a microscope to ID mushrooms. Mushrooms aren't butterflies, they dont die when you touch them, and apart from a small handfull of species most the life cycle is beyond sight. I can't be bothered arguing a scientific case of why good foraging practice is spreads spores, increases germination and aids the study of the subject. If anyone wishes to be known as a mycologist then they hold with the idea that true science has no dogma.

Everyone has to learn somewhere. I dont like mistakes being met with unproportionate critaism. i dont like the advice to take photos and leave speciums in the field, it closes off a deeper understanding of the subject in my opinion. It makes it harder to id a specium, and features like scent are missed. i also think the idea to be serious you need microscope and stain reagents isnt helpful either. This subject is very small, care has to taken what is said on the net or even in person. I could say so much and I am not, it is generally not worth the hassle. Be cautous of strong opinions they are probably wrong.

 

[Geoff Dann]

This subject is very small, care has to taken what is said on the net or even in person. I could say so much and I am not, it is generally not worth the hassle. Be cautous of strong opinions they are probably wrong.

I'm not sure what you mean by "this subject is very small." I assume you mean that there aren't that many people involved in the world of wild mushrooms, not that there aren't many mushrooms or there isn't much to talk about.

If the ABFG did not exist then this would be easier, but they do exist and Michael Jordan supposedly founded that organisation as a reaction against the damage caused by an upsurge in foraging. Personally, I couldn't just completely ignore them and write them off as reactionary geeks. I do find some of their views extreme. However, I maintain there is a genuine problem being caused by the existence of the internet which did not exist beforehand. When you and I learned about mushrooms there wasn't any internet, so going out and picking a basketful of random fungi and then posting pictures on the internet for ID wasn't possible. It is possible now, and is precisely what would happen all of the time at wildmushroomsonline if I hadn't insisted on the prohibition of this practice. And if I am the person who ends up identifying those mushrooms, and thus encouraging the practice, then I think the ABFG would have every reason to regard me as their enemy and an enemy of wild fungi.

 

[xylaria]

What I meant it a small world. I am friends with Iona that runs ashdown foragers, i am a member on river cottage, on robin harwoods facebook account, member on WAB and paid up on ABFG. I have been on here for years and met quite a few "elder" members. Although the internet is public space the private individuals behind posts meet from time to time and the foraging world and mushroom world isnt that big. Personally I dont get into rows because of this one fact.

I didn't know ABFG was set up as reaction to the "damage" caused by foragers, I thought it was because BMS upset MJ some how over some book review. MJ also wanted something more accessable to non scientists. It is someone elses arguement, and so is the river cottage incident. I dont believe responcible foraging is damaging to the ecosystem, I think the best why to learn to id fungi is to pick them and study them yourself. Getting someone on the net to do so is lazy and just a bit dangerous, it is good to get check up on what you think you have, not good to not have clue, never look at a book and just ramdomly put up piccys in hope someone might get it right. I am however tollerant of errors, and I dont agree with been harsh on school boys errors. As i said everyone makes mistakes. Pionting out why a clitocybe isnt like a chanterelle is a more educating approach. These are just my opinions.

I am seriously thinking of setting up a foraging organisation, in reaction to damage done to the knowledge of edible plants and fungi by bad science, prejudice, greed and numptys.

 

[mountainm]

Guys, may I politely suggest you take this discussion into pm's. This was one of my favourite threads and it's descended into tedious politics.






There's not mushroom for tedious politics in this thread.

 

[Harvestman]

Guys, may I politely suggest you take this discussion into pm's. This was one of my favourite threads and it's descended into tedious politics.






There's not mushroom for tedious politics in this thread.

I wish I'd managed to to express it like that

 

[Geoff Dann]

What I meant it a small world. I am friends with Iona that runs ashdown foragers, i am a member on river cottage, on robin harwoods facebook account, member on WAB and paid up on ABFG. I have been on here for years and met quite a few "elder" members. Although the internet is public space the private individuals behind posts meet from time to time and the foraging world and mushroom world isnt that big. Personally I dont get into rows because of this one fact.

I didn't know ABFG was set up as reaction to the "damage" caused by foragers, I thought it was because BMS upset MJ some how over some book review. MJ also wanted something more accessable to non scientists. It is someone elses arguement, and so is the river cottage incident. I dont believe responcible foraging is damaging to the ecosystem, I think the best why to learn to id fungi is to pick them and study them yourself. Getting someone on the net to do so is lazy and just a bit dangerous, it is good to get check up on what you think you have, not good to not have clue, never look at a book and just ramdomly put up piccys in hope someone might get it right. I am however tollerant of errors, and I dont agree with been harsh on school boys errors. As i said everyone makes mistakes. Pionting out why a clitocybe isnt like a chanterelle is a more educating approach. These are just my opinions.

I am seriously thinking of setting up a foraging organisation, in reaction to damage done to the knowledge of edible plants and fungi by bad science, prejudice, greed and numptys.

OK, that's fair enough. I don't particularly want to get into rows with anybody either. All I can say is that for such a small world, there seems to be rather a lot of "other people's arguments" to try not to get involved in.

I hope we can resume normal thread-life now.

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Right, back on track... Taken yesterday. Genus Armillaria mellea or the boot lace fungus?

 

[Geoff Dann]

No, that is the most common mushroom in northern Europe: Hypholoma fasciculare.

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Thanks Geoff... I have a long way to go with all but the basics on the fungi

 

[Harvestman]

No, that is the most common mushroom in northern Europe: Hypholoma fasciculare.

Yay! I was right.

Shame I wasn't confident enough to post though. Sulphur tuft, for those not doing latin.

 

[mercurykev]

I'm just back from the Cairngorms where there were a fair few fungi showing. A few red and a few purple capped Russulas, a load of Chanterelles (over 2kg collected) and a few few of these:

I'm pretty confident that it's a Boletus but can't quite pin it down with my Phillips. It was growing in a Scots Pine woods and there was lots of Blaeberry plants, that, the velvety cap and the yellow flesh made me think it could be a Suede Bolete/yellow-cracked bolete but the pores look too dark. There was slight blueing when you bruised it.

What do the experts think it might be?

 

[Geoff Dann]

>>velvety cap

Try Velvet Bolete?

 

[mercurykev]

Ah - the lighter cap colour in Phillips threw me but google images has photos of specimens that look more like those I found. It's good to know because these were fairly abundant and are also pretty distinctive (once you know what they are).

 

[Chiseller]

Young stinkhorn ?

Then uncovered one of its balls

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

 

[mercurykev]

I stumbled across these bad boys this evening on a verge next to the A1. I'm thinking they are Agaricus and possibly a mature and young specimen of field mushrooms?