Mushrooms of the
	Kensan Devan
	Sanctuary
	Return to the Kensan Devan Sanctuary

Had nature any outcast face
Could she a son condemn
Had nature an Iscariot
That mushroom--it is him.	--Emily Dickinson

MUSHROOMS: these fleshy fruits of invisible underground fungi have long had a bad name in the forest kingdom. With their otherworldly appearance, penchant for decay, and disquieting habit of popping up in unpredictable places, they have been christened "vegetable vermin," and associated with the works of the devil. Names such as Witches Butter, Elf Cups, Devil's Dipstick, and Beelzebub's Cushion illustrate the attitude of western civilization throughout the centuries towards toadstools of all types.

Despite their bad reputation, these fascinating denizens of the woodland duff play a very important role in the life of the forest. Many mushrooms make their living off death and decay, helping to break down dead (and sometimes living) organic matter into available nutrients. Many more mushroom species, however, contribute greatly to the health and vitality of the forest by living in cooperative relationships with the roots of forest trees. Scientists are just beginning to understand the extent of trees' dependence on their mushroom companions, and vice versa.

From puffballs to polypores, morels to matsutake, mushrooms come in many magical forms. They can be shelflike or stalked, have gills or pores, be deadly poisonous or deliciously edible, beautiful blue or basic brown. Some even glow in the dark!

Allow us to introduce you to some of the more common citizens of the Kingdom Fungi, residing at the Sanctuary.

Deceptive Milky Lactarius deceptivus: summer/fall
This mushroom feels right at home in the mixed woods of Meetinghouse Pond. Look for large white funnels (flat-topped when young) under hemlocks or hardwoods. When the gills are sliced open, white "milk" oozes out. In a young specimen, feel the cottony roll of tissue around the cap's rim. Why is it so "deceptive?"

Woodland Russula Russula silvicola: summer/fall
This common mushroom's bright red cap is unmistakable, although it may fade with age. It can actually be peeled off like a skin. The stem and gills are pure white,and break crisply, like chalk.

Destroying Angel Amanita virosa: summer/fall
One of the first mushroom families to be mentioned in history, the Amanitas are responsible for up to 95% of all mushroom poisonings. This beautiful angel is the deadliest mushroom in the northeast. Slim, elegant, and pure white, with a ring (or annulus) around the stalk and a cuplike volva at the base, it often sprouts beneath hemlocks.

Iodine Cort Cortinarius iodes: summer/early fall
This small purple mushroom is a delicate surprise in a woodland of browns and greens. It often has tiny yellow spots, and a cobwebby veil covering the gills when young. Its cap and stalk are slippery when wet.

Honey Mushroom Armillariella mellea: fall
First, try saying Armillariella mellea five times fast! Now look for the big clumps of mushrooms growing on a stump or tree. The honey-colored cap with tiny dark hairs, and the ring or annulus around the tough, stringy stalk are unmistakable, but often very variable in appearance. This mushroom has been a common woodland pest in the eyes of the timber industry, because it digests wood, dead or alive.

Yellow Disk Waxy Cap Hygrophorus flavodiscus: fall
After the first frost of fall, this fungus pops profusely from the pine needle duff. Its yellow, slimy cap, whitish waxy gills and sweet smell give away the yellow disk waxy cap. (The sooty waxy cap, H. fuligineus, is very similar, but dark brown and extra slimy)

White Crested Coral Clavulina cristata: spring thru fall
These white, intricately branched mushrooms look as if they should be growing on an undersea coral reef--hence the name white-crested coral. Favoring mixed woods, and especially pines, this fantastic fungus is common all season.

Tinder Polypore Fomes fomentarius: year-round
Hoof-shaped, hard and knobby, these grayish shelf-fungi have been used for centuries to light fires. Chunks of them were soaked in saltpeter solution and dried to be used as "matches." Tinder polypores remain on dead or living trees (esp. birch) all year round. Instead of gills, they have many tiny pores below: hence the name "Polypore." There are dozens of species of shelf-like polypores on the sanctuary; how many others can you find?

Witch's Butter Dacrymyces palmatus: warm weather
Only a wicked witch would serve this on toast! A slippery, gelatinous, blobby mass (it feels a little like Jell-O), this bright yellow jelly fungus pops up whenever the temperature rises, usually on dead conifers.

Although mushrooms are an important food for squirrels, deer, and slugs alike, we don't recommend that you eat them. Wild mushrooms can be very difficult to identify, even with the best of field guides, so NEVER eat any wild mushroom unless you are absolutely sure what it is.