The Ultimate "What is this Fungi?" thread.

bob_the_baker

Full Member
May 22, 2012
489
43
Swansea
Sure I read somewhere that the Sami have used them to catch wild reindeer. Slaughtering the animal while it is in a catatonic state and reserving the urine to use as a refreshing beverage. The story went that the compounds that cause the more unpleasant side effects (catatonia and nausea) get processed by the reindeer's systems and the more desirable compounds get passed through into the urine. Adds a whole new angle to getting p***ed, but if it helps you get through the arctic winter, who am I to judge.
 

TomH

Tenderfoot
Apr 8, 2013
54
0
South Derbyshire
I think there are a number if psychoactive substances that are filtered/purified/intensified as they pass through and i believe it even works for yourself and the effects are heightened the second time through.


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Geoff Dann

Native
Sep 15, 2010
1,252
31
56
Sussex
www.geoffdann.co.uk
Cheers for the info.
I know it sounds cliched but it really is only for knowledge purposes, i have no interest in chemically distorting my already tenuous grip on reality.
I've also read a bit about reindeer and the origins of some Christmas/Santa Claus traditions. Apparently these are why Santa wears red and white.

That's pure mythology. Santa was actually green until co-opted by Coke adverts.
 

Geoff Dann

Native
Sep 15, 2010
1,252
31
56
Sussex
www.geoffdann.co.uk
Isn't it from this mushroom that Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer of legend comes from. Some animals and seemingly especially reindeer love these and their hallucinogenic effects, and seemingly the main effect is that of euphoric flying. It's stated that they can often be seen eating then (red nose) whilst jumping and leaping around (flying).

Sounds likely.

There's supposed to be no way of knowing which of the 1% of then have potentially lethal doses of the active ingredient which could leave you pretty dead.

AFAIK there are no confirmed cases of fatalities from fly agaric poisoning. There are a few from Amanita pantherina poisoning, which (apparently) contains much higher doses of similar toxins.
 

Geoff Dann

Native
Sep 15, 2010
1,252
31
56
Sussex
www.geoffdann.co.uk
This is a great fungi thread - I really enjoyed browsing through! Does anyone know of any good courses out there (preferably in Wales) that take you through it over a weekend? I know there are a few courses out there (thanks Google) - but having been on a number of different types of courses over the years, I know that some are considerably better than others.

As a person who runs courses and would be interested in planning more in the future, I'd be interested to know what you think makes the key differences between a good one and a bad one...
 

bushwacker bob

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 22, 2003
3,824
17
STRANGEUS PLACEUS
It was under a hedgerow oak in full shade on chalk/claysoil next to a dirt track. I didn't want to break it and didn't consider smelling it. The underside was a yellowy green as you can just see on the front edge of it
 

Ecoman

Full Member
Sep 18, 2013
934
2
Isle of Arran
www.HPOC.co.uk
Its a pretty blurry picture and difficult to tell from the description. I was thinking either a bitter bolete or bay bolete or boletus impolitus but without seeing the stem, giving it a sniff and seeing whether the pores are greenish with age or whether they are discoloured from bruising its difficult to judge. Although I'm leaning towards the boletus impolitus as the size and habitat match up. The pores also tend to turn greeny yellow with age.
 
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Harvestman

Bushcrafter through and through
May 11, 2007
8,656
26
55
Pontypool, Wales, Uk
This isn't an edible, as far as I know, so it might be a bit of a challenge, but I could do with an identification on this one. Best I can come up with is Clavulinopsis cinerioides, which is rare according to my copy of Phillips. Habitat is on coniferous litter (possibly an old coniferous stump) in an ancient pinetum.

10177709446_0fbbd894d0_b.jpg
 

Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
18
Scotland
Had a productive day yesterday, was out picking Bay Boletes, Boletus badius, got a fair few so they're sliced and drying right now. Also got a rake of elderberries and some dried pine resin.

Found a big patch of the following and having trouble tracking it down, sorry for the pics!
IMG_0629.JPG


IMG_0630.JPG


IMG_0631.JPG


Cheers in advance for looking - hard to tell from pics I know.
 

Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
18
Scotland
Well, I'd say it is an Amanita for a start. Wondering if it is just a pale A. muscaria, or a blusher with colour. Suspect the former.

Was getting a wee bit stressed looking through the mushroom book, always feel it's got to be 100% in my mind and it didn't quite fit. Cheers though.
 

demographic

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 15, 2005
4,762
785
-------------
Had a productive day yesterday, was out picking Bay Boletes, Boletus badius, got a fair few so they're sliced and drying right now. Also got a rake of elderberries and some dried pine resin.

Found a big patch of the following and having trouble tracking it down, sorry for the pics!
IMG_0629.JPG


IMG_0630.JPG


IMG_0631.JPG


Cheers in advance for looking - hard to tell from pics I know.

Can't say I've ever seen one but is it a Panther Cap?
 

Paulm

Full Member
May 27, 2008
1,089
184
Hants
Look like panther caps to me.

Another successful trip out yesterday with a good few more of the orange birch and oak boletes, though no ceps this time. House smells like mushroom soup with the dryer going all day yesterday and today ! :)

Cheers, Paul
 

Geoff Dann

Native
Sep 15, 2010
1,252
31
56
Sussex
www.geoffdann.co.uk
This isn't an edible, as far as I know, so it might be a bit of a challenge, but I could do with an identification on this one. Best I can come up with is Clavulinopsis cinerioides, which is rare according to my copy of Phillips. Habitat is on coniferous litter (possibly an old coniferous stump) in an ancient pinetum.

10177709446_0fbbd894d0_b.jpg

Ha! I'm not even going to try. Too many things that might be. :)

Lovely photo though.
 

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