Dog Day Delectable
By Jason Beale, Manager, Abbott’s Mill Nature Center
I look forward to summer thunderstorms in August for two reasons. First, they provide a welcome respite from the heat and second, they bring the Meadow Mushroom, Agaricus campestris.
Meadow Mushrooms and a toddler, in their natural habitat. Sasha examines the chocolate brown spores on her left hand.
The Agaricus mushrooms are well known to most people through Agaricus bisporus, the cultivated button mushroom. The genus is fairly easy to identify. Many are white and possess a ring on the stalk or annulus. The gills are pink when young and dark when mature, producing a chocolate brown spore print.
The pink gills darken with age. Note the fading rings on the stalks.
They can be readily told from the Amanita genus which is responsible for 80-90% of mushroom fatalities though they share a superficial resemblence. Amanitas possess an annulus, but the stalk usually emerges from a cup-like volva. They are associated with tree roots and aren’t common in lawns. Additionally, they always possess pale gills and produce a white spore print.
Easily overlooked, the Meadow Mushroom is a widespread and choice delectable.
No Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL
