March Mushroom of the Month: False Earth Stars, Astraeus sp.
The March of the Month is the False Earth Star, Astraeus sp.
🍄⭐The March mushroom of the month is the False Earthstar, Astraeus sp.
🙌 to Ellen for correctly identifying this mushroom and the newest member of the society.
You can also be a supporting member to stay dialed-in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom.
the barometer earthstars
The species in the Astraeus genus are not true earth stars though they do look similar to puffballs when they are young. False earthstars have a unique adaptation that sets them apart - arms, or rays, open and close in response to moisture. During hot, dry periods, the arms close up to protect the spore sac. When it rains, or there is moisture in the air, the arms open up to receive it. This special function is called hygroscopy and is used by many plant and animal species to retain hydration.
Taxonomy & Ecology
False earth stars resemble true earth stars (Geastrum) with a spore sac surrounded by an outer shell that splits into star-like rays at maturity. These fungi are ectomycorrhizal, partnering with tree and shrub roots for nutrients. Their rays have an irregularly cracked surface, while the smooth, pale brown spore sac develops a slit at the top. Initially white, the gleba turns brown and powdery as spores mature. The spores are reddish-brown, roughly spherical, and covered in minute warts, measuring 7.5–11 µm in diameter.
are they useful?
False earth starts are not commonly foraged in North America though not poisonous, they are not considered edible. However, in southwest India, Astraeus hygrometricus is foraged a traditional delicacy during the monsoon season and biochemical studies have revealed that it is most nutritious when it is cooked. False earth stars can be dried and used in art projects or as seasonal decor!
BECOME A SUPPORTING MEMBER & stay Dialed in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom
March Foraging Forecast
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Central Texas after rain.
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Central Texas after rain.
Comes with download of a Wild Edible Mushroom Calendar.
White Morel
Morchella americana
Honeycomb cap with a off-white, bulbous, wrinkly stem. Hollow on inside and 1–4" tall
Fruits after rain while soil temps are 45-50°
Found along creeks near cottonwoods, dying elms, and ash.
Edible when cooked and toxic when raw
As the dewberries blossom, the choice edible morel, starts to fruit in Central Texas. These distinctive fungi have a honeycomb appearance due to the network of ridges with pits composing their caps. I'm already thinking about how to preserve morels so I can pair them with dewberries.
I found my first morels in Texas in 2019 as the pandemic shut everything down. SXSW was canceled and in my new found free-time I wandered near creeks looking under junipers for the honeycombed, yellow mushrooms. Morels are found to be saprophytic, mycorrhizal and endophytes during different parts of their life. In Texas, I have found morels in riparian areas growing in limestone with grasses and duff near cedars or Juniperus ashei, hackberries, possomhaw, and cedar elms. They are illusive and require moisture from rain. The last few years have been really terrible for morels because of the severe droughts in Central Texas. There is a lot of hope for this morel season because they need at least six weeks of freezing temperatures to grow but obviously they have adapted to our shorter winters in Texas.
Look-alikes: Gyromitra, Verpa , Helvella genera have some toxic species. Get confirmation with expert before eating. Death by morels is real.
WOOD BLEWIT Collybia species, formerly Lepista, Clitocybe
Distinct lilac to purple-pink color
Grows in and decomposes leaf duff
Light pink to white spores
Great in breakfast tacos
As the weather stays cool, look out for the edible Wood Blewit, Collybia nuda or tarda species (formerly Lepista and Clitocybe.) This distinct lavender-colored mushroom is found from fall through spring and fruiting in hardwood leaf duff which is decomposes. Fresh wood blewits are great with eggs in breakfast tacos. As they get older they become more tan and iridescent colored on the cap and taste bitter. I throw the older wood blewits my compost leaf pile because they are such great decomposers and will colonize and grow in hardwood leaf litter.
Look-alikes: Be warned because there are deadly, poisonous look-alikes in the Cortinarius or webcap family that grow in similar conditions. It's important to do a spore print AND also confirm the ID with an expert. The spores of the wood blewit are light pink to white and the spores of Cortinarius mushrooms are rust colored. See our blog post with lots of photos and details to help you identify this mushroom.
OYSTER Pleurotus ostreatus
Color can vary white, tan and gray
White to cream gills, run down stem
Cap fan shaped, 2"-8" across, white spores
Grows in clusters and decomposes hardwood
Delicious meat replacement in all types of cuisines
Look-alikes: Southern Jack-o-lantern, Omphalotus subilludens which is toxic and orange to brown in color.
WOOD EAR: Auricularia species
Grows in clusters on decaying hardwood after rain
Cap is wavy, ear-shaped to irregular, 1-4" and > 1/4" thick
Jelly texture and lacks gills or pores
Produces white spores
Absorbs flavors, great in soups, contains protein, iron, calcium and phosphorus
Edibility: Wood ear mushrooms are a popular ingredient in many Chinese dishes, such as hot and sour soup, and also used in Chinese medicine. It is also used in Ghana, as a blood tonic. Modern research into possible medical applications has variously concluded that wood ear has anti-tumor, hypoglycemic, anticoagulant and cholesterol-lowering properties.
Look-alikes: Amber Jelly, Exidia recisa which is also edible.
TURKEY TAIL Trametes versicolor
Variable coloration, distinct striping pattern
Grows in overlapping clusters on logs and stumps
No gills, pores are small and round, white to light brown
Tough, leathery flesh
Medicinal and can be brewed into a tea, broth, or extracted into a tincture.
Look-alikes: False turkey tail. or Stereum ostrea and is non-toxic. Mushroom Expert has a useful check list to determine if it is true medicinal turkey tail.
Become a member and learn more about wild mushroom foraging in Texas!
Membership benefits include early access and discounts to walks, workshops, and more. Your membership helps support the larger community! Tag us to get help with ID and add your observations to iNaturalist.org. If you are trying a new mushroom, confirm the ID with an expert, then try a small amount to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction. Texas Mushroom Identification Facebook group is great for quick responses and ID help. Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist.
Follow my adventures @forage.atx.
March Foraging Forecast
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Texas after rain.
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Texas after rain.
Comes with download of a Wild Edible Mushroom Calendar.
True Morel, Morchella americana
Description: Honeycomb cap with a off-white, bulbous, wrinkly stem. Hollow on inside. Fruits after rain and while soil temps are between 45-50°.
Habitat: Found in alkaline soils near limestone and cedar duff.
Spore Color: Creamy Yellow Size: 1–4" in Height
Edibility: Edible when cooked and toxic when raw
Look-alikes: Gyromitra, Verpa , Helvella genera have some toxic species. Get confirmation with expert before eating. Death by morels is real.
As the dewberries blossom, the choice edible morel, starts to fruit in Central Texas. These distinctive fungi have a honeycomb appearance due to the network of ridges with pits composing their caps. I'm already thinking about how to preserve morels so I can pair them with dewberries.
I found my first morels in Texas in 2019 as the pandemic shut everything down. SXSW was canceled and in my new found free-time I wandered near creeks looking under junipers for the honeycombed, yellow mushrooms. Morels are found to be saprophytic, mycorrhizal and endophytes during different parts of their life cycle. In Texas, I have found morels in riparian areas growing in limestone with grasses and duff near cedars or Juniperus ashei, hackberries, possomhaw, and cedar elms. They are illusive and require moisture from rain. The last few years have been really terrible for morels because of the severe droughts in Central Texas. There is a lot of hope for this morel season because they need at least six weeks of freezing temperatures to grow but obviously they have adapted to our shorter winters in Texas.
Wood Blewit Collybia species, formerly Lepista, Clitocybe
Description: Lilac to purple-pink. Gills are attached to short, stout stem with bulbous base.
Habitat: Grows in and decomposes leaf duff
Size: 3-6" cap diamter Spore Color: Light pink to white
Edibility: Good. Try in breakfast tacos
Look-alikes: Purple webcaps in the Cortinarius genus can be toxic and grow in same habitat. Spore print is rust colored.
OYSTER Pleurotus ostreatus
DESCRIPTION: Color can vary white, tan and gray.White to cream gills, run down stem.
HABITAT: Grows in clusters and decomposes hardwood.
SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: Cap fan shaped, 2"-8" across.
EDIBILITY: Choice. Delicious meat replacement in all types of cuisines
LOOK A-LIKE: The Southern Jack-o-lantern, Omphalotus subilludens is the toxic look-a-like and is orange to brown in color. They do grow at the same time but their habitat and morphology is different.
Shoehorn Oyster Hohenbuehelia petaloides
Description: Pale to brown funnel-shaped caps with decurrent gills. Considered carnivorous because it traps nematodes with “sticky knobs” in the mycelium to obtain nitrogen and grow.
Habitat: Fruits after rain in mulch or woody debris
Spore Color: white or yellowish Size: 5-10" wide
Edibility: Edible when cooked but can be tough and mealy
Look-alikes: Pluerotus species or Lentinellus cochleatus (none observed in Texas) but grow on decomposing wood.
WOOD EAR Auricularia 6+- species in Texas
DESCRIPTION: Brown to amber in color. Jelly texture that is irregular, wavy, and ear-shaped. Lacks gills or pores.
HABITAT: Grows in clusters on decaying hardwood after rain
SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: 4-6" in width and > 1/4" thick
EDIBILITY: Wood ear mushrooms are a popular ingredient in many Chinese dishes, such as hot and sour soup, and also used in Chinese medicine. It is also used in Ghana, as a blood tonic. Modern research into possible medical applications has variously concluded that wood ear has anti-tumor, hypoglycemic, anticoagulant and cholesterol-lowering properties.
LOOK-ALIKES: Amber Jelly, Exidia recisa which is also edible.
Puffball: Lycoperdon and Calvatia, 15+- species in Texas
DESCRIPTION: Smooth and spherical, deflate and turn purplish or brown on inside with age making inedible. Some peal and have spines.
HABITAT: Overgrazed Prairie or grasslands.
SPORE COLOR: Purple-brown
SIZE: 2- 60" diameter
EDIBILITY: Doesn’t have a strong flavor of its own and absorb flavors. Try making a Giant Puffball Pizza.
LOOK-ALIKES: Amanita species which can contain toxins and be fatal. If center of puffball is not white, it can cause GI distress.
TURKEY TAIL Trametes versicolor
DESCRIPTION: Variable coloration, distinct striping pattern. No gills, pores are small and round, white to light brown
HABITAT: Grows in overlapping clusters on logs and stumps
SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: Cap fan shaped, 2"-8" across.
EDIBILITY: Medicinal. Tough, leathery flesh. Can be brewed into a tea, broth, or extracted into a tincture.
LOOK A-LIKE: False turkey tail. or Stereum ostrea and is non-toxic. Mushroom Expert has a useful check list to determine if it is true medicinal turkey tail.
Become a member and learn more about wild mushroom foraging in Texas!
Membership benefits include early access and discounts to walks, workshops, and more. Your membership helps support the larger community! Tag us to get help with ID and add your observations to iNaturalist.org. If you are trying a new mushroom, confirm the ID with an expert, then try a small amount to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction. Texas Mushroom Identification Facebook group is great for quick responses and ID help. Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist.
Follow my adventures @forage.atx.
February Mushroom of the Month: Many-rooted Earthball, Scleroderma polyrhizum
The February of the Month is the Many-rooted earthball, Scleroderma polyrhizum
🍄⭐The February mushroom of the month is the Many-rooted Earthball, Scleroderma polyrhizum.
🙌 to Mike Ryon for correctly identifying this mushroom and the newest member of the society.
You can also be a supporting member to stay dialed-in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom.
What is that?
Dead Man's Hand, Earthstar Scleroderma, Many-rooted Earthball are all common names for Scleroderma polyrhizum, a basidiomycete fungus and a member of the genus Scleroderma, or "earthballs". They don’t really look like a typical mushroom, and many find themselves scratching their heads when first encountering one, trying to figure out what exactly it is. When they first emerge from the ground, they look like a rock. When they finally open, they look like a melted/rotten Reese’s peanut butter cup.
Taxonomy & Ecology
Found in dry, sandy soils, this species begins completely buried before slowly forcing the soil aside as it cracks apart to form a rough, star-shaped body with a diameter of 12–15 cm (4.7–5.9 in). When unopened, the fruit body ranges in shape from round to flattened to somewhat irregular, sometimes with lobes. At the center is a dark, brownish spore mass. Many- rooted earthballs are widely distributed across Asia, Europe and the America’s wherever soil and climate is favorable.
are they edible?
It will likely come as no surprise that these mushrooms are not edible. Not only do they look icky, they contain toxins which can cause some serious gastric discomfort. However, Scleroderma polyrhizum fruit bodies have been used in Traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of treatment of detumescence and hemostasis. Future research may reveal more uses for this fascinating fungi.
BECOME A SUPPORTING MEMBER & stay Dialed in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom
How Find the Texas Star Mushroom
By following these steps, you can increase your chances of finding our elusive and fascinating official state mushroom. Happy hunting!
Also know as Devil’s Cigar, Kirinomitake, Chorioactis geaster
By following these steps, you can increase your chances of finding our elusive and fascinating state mushroom. Happy hunting!
Step 1: Understand the Ecoregion
Geographic Range: The Texas Star Mushroom is primarily found in Central Texas, with sightings reported as far south as San Antonio and as far north as the Oklahoma border in Choctaw County. It has also been observed in Wharton County near Houston.
Ecoregion: Focus on areas within the Central Texas ecoregion, particularly those with a mix of woodlands and open spaces. The mushroom is often found in areas with dead or decaying cedar elm trees.
Step 2: Identify the Right Habitat
Tree Association: Look for dead cedar elm stumps in forests where they grow. Identify cedar elm (Ulmus crassifolia) by its small, rough, serrated leaves with a sandpapery feel, corky ridged bark, and compact form. In fall, its leaves turn orange and fall after the first frost. Decomposing stumps appear as black, hollow crowns with jagged edges due to fungal decay. Search for these stumps and examine their edges and roots for cigar or star-like formations.
Season: The mushroom typically fruits from late fall into early spring after rains. Plan your search during these months for the best chance of finding it.
Step 3: Visit Known Locations
State Parks: Check out Inks Lake State Park and McKinney Falls State Park, where the mushroom has been observed.
City of Austin Parks: Zilker Botanical Garden, Shoal Creek Greenbelt, Southeast Metro Park, and the Barton Creek Greenbelt are hotspots.
Other Locations: Brushy Creek in Cedar Park, Meadow Center and Purgatory Creek in San Marcos, Landa Park in New Braunfels, and McAllister and Olmos Park in San Antonio.
Step 4: Look for Specific Features
Initial Appearance: When the mushroom initially fruits it resembles a dark brown cigar with a long stem connected to the cedar elm roots or stump.
Dehiscence: When the mushroom detects a change in humidity it splits open radially into a star-like arrangement of three to eight leathery rays. When the mushroom detects the wind it releases of a smoky cloud of spores accompanied by a hissing sound.
Step 5: Listen and Observe
Hissing Sound: The hissing sound is a unique feature of the Texas Star Mushroom. Only a few mushrooms are known to create an audible sound when spores are released. It sounds like a fizzing noise, like the bursting of bubbles in a glass of soda. Be very quiet!
Spore Release: Look for the release of spores, which can be seen as a smoky cloud. This happens after the mushroom splits open and there are multiple spore releases over a few days until the mushroom get eaten by insects and wildlife.
Step 6: Document Your Findings
Photographs: Take clear photographs of the mushroom, noting its stage of development (closed cigar shape or open star shape).
Location Data: Record the exact location where you found the mushroom. Use GPS coordinates if possible.
Share Observations: Consider sharing your findings on platforms like iNaturalist or Mushroom Observer to contribute to community science efforts and help others find them.
Step 7: Respect the Environment
Leave No Trace: Avoid disturbing the habitat. Do not remove the mushrooms or damage the surrounding area.
Follow Regulations: Ensure you have any necessary permits if you are collecting samples for scientific purposes.
Step 8: Join a Community
Central Texas Mycological Society (CTMS): Join local mycological societies or groups like CTMS to connect with other enthusiasts and participate in organized forays.
Online Resources: Utilize online resources to learn more about the Texas Star Mushroom and share your experiences.
Tag us with your photos on social media and add your observations to iNaturalist.org
Videos of the Texas Star Mushroom
February Foraging Forecast
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Texas after rain.
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Texas after rain.
Comes with download of a Wild Edible Mushroom Calendar.
Wood Blewit Collybia species, formerly Lepista, Clitocybe
Description: Lilac to purple-pink. Gills are attached to short, stout stem with bulbous base.
Habitat: Grows in and decomposes leaf duff
Size: 3-6" cap diamter Spore Color: Light pink to white
Edibility: Good. Try in breakfast tacos
Look-alikes: Purple webcaps in the Cortinarius genus can be toxic and grow in same habitat. Spore print is rust colored.
Lion’s Mane, Hericium erinaceus
Lion’s mane is a choice edible mushroom that rarely grows in the wild in Central Texas. I have foraged it a few times and it fruits on the cankers of post oaks in Central Texas. It is more abundant in East Texas on decaying oaks.
DESCRIPTION: Tooth fungus, fuzzy and turns yellow as it ages.
HABITAT: Fruits on decomposing hardwood or heartwood or cankers of living post oak in the winter after rain. SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: 4-12"+ h & w
EDIBILITY: Mildly sweet flavor, tender texture that mimics shellfish like scallops, crab, or lobster. Medicinal
LOOK A-LIKE: Hericium americanum, Bear's Head Tooth & Hericium Coralloides, Coral Tooth (Edible). Marshmallow polypore, Irpiciporus pachyodon (Inedible)
MEDICINAL BENEFITS
Not only does this mushroom taste delicious, it’s good for you. Lion’s mane mushrooms contain bioactive substances that have beneficial effects on the body, especially the brain, heart and gut. Scientific studies have found this mushroom may:
✨ Reduce Inflammation
✨ Relieve Depression and Anxiety
✨ Protect against dementia and Alzheimer's
✨ Protect Against Ulcers in the Digestive Tract
✨ Reduce Heart Disease Risk
✨ Help Manage Diabetes Symptoms
✨ Cancer Fighting Properties
Where to Buy
It is also cultivated by several local mushroom farms and available at farmers markets and groceries stores. You can also pick them up at various locations in Central Texas with our mushroom block giveaway program and get a second fruiting in the cool winter months.
Hi-Fi Myco and Cap City Shrooms at farmers markets and Central Market
SmallHold at Central Market, Whole Foods
Go here for a complete list of Texas mushroom companies.
OYSTER: Pleurotus ostreatus
DESCRIPTION: Color can vary white, tan and gray.White to cream gills, run down stem.
HABITAT: Grows in clusters and decomposes hardwood.
SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: Cap fan shaped, 2"-8" across.
EDIBILITY: Choice. Delicious meat replacement in all types of cuisines
LOOK A-LIKE: The Southern Jack-o-lantern, Omphalotus subilludens is the toxic look-a-like and is orange to brown in color. They do grow at the same time but their habitat and morphology is different.
Ringless Honey Mushroom: Desarmillaria & ArmillariA Species
Ringless Honey Mushroom, Desarmillaria caespitosa will start been popping up all over Austin in large clusters at the bases of trees (when the clusters appear to be terrestrial they are actually growing from underground wood) in late summer and fall. This parasitic fungus is part of a genus that is the largest living organism ever found on this planet.
Description: Honey-colored, dry, scaly to sticky cap. Mellea species has a ring on the stem. Gills, some species have a ring.
Habitat: Grows in clusters on decaying hard-wood.
Spore Color: White
Size: 6" in Height
Edibility: Not Choice.
Look-alikes: Southern Jack-o-lantern, Omphalotus subilludens which is toxic and orange to brown in color.
REISHI: Ganoderma, 12 species in Texas
DESCRIPTION: Polypore with woody, varnished texture, banded red to brown colors with white pores on underside.
HABITAT: Grows at base or on hardwood stumps, logs, especially oaks and pecan. Pines in East Texas.
SPORE COLOR: Brown
SIZE: 4-10" width
EDIBILITY: Medicinal. Very bitter because of medicinal compounds.
LOOK-ALIKES: Red-Belted Conk, Fomitosis Pinicola (also medicinal).
Witches Butter. Tremella mesenterica
Description: Bright yellow, parasitic jelly fungus
Habitat: Found on angiosperm bark and feeds on wood-decay fungi in the genus Peniophora consuming them as it grows.
Spore Color: White to Yellow Size: up to 3"
Edibility: Edible and flavorless. Studies suggest antitumor, antioxidative, and antiallergenic. Candied witch’s butter, resembling sour gummy candy, is a delightful treat packed with health benefits.
Look a-likes: Golden Ear or Tremella aurantia, Orange jelly or Dacrymyces palmatus and Fan-shaped Jelly Fungus or Dacryopinax spathularia are all edible.
WOOD EAR: Auricularia 6+- species in Texas
DESCRIPTION: Brown to amber in color. Jelly texture that is irregular, wavy, and ear-shaped. Lacks gills or pores.
HABITAT: Grows in clusters on decaying hardwood after rain
SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: 4-6" in width and > 1/4" thick
EDIBILITY: Wood ear mushrooms are a popular ingredient in many Chinese dishes, such as hot and sour soup, and also used in Chinese medicine. It is also used in Ghana, as a blood tonic. Modern research into possible medical applications has variously concluded that wood ear has anti-tumor, hypoglycemic, anticoagulant and cholesterol-lowering properties.
LOOK-ALIKES: Amber Jelly, Exidia recisa which is also edible.
Puffball: Lycoperdon and Calvatia, 15+- species in Texas
DESCRIPTION: Smooth and spherical, deflate and turn purplish or brown on inside with age making inedible. Some peal and have spines.
HABITAT: Overgrazed Prairie or grasslands.
SPORE COLOR: Purple-brown
SIZE: 2- 60" diameter
EDIBILITY: Doesn’t have a strong flavor of its own and absorb flavors. Try making a Giant Puffball Pizza.
LOOK-ALIKES: Amanita species which can contain toxins and be fatal. If center of puffball is not white, it can cause GI distress.
TURKEY TAIL Trametes versicolor
DESCRIPTION: Variable coloration, distinct striping pattern. No gills, pores are small and round, white to light brown
HABITAT: Grows in overlapping clusters on logs and stumps
SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: Cap fan shaped, 2"-8" across.
EDIBILITY: Medicinal. Tough, leathery flesh. Can be brewed into a tea, broth, or extracted into a tincture.
LOOK A-LIKE: False turkey tail. or Stereum ostrea and is non-toxic. Mushroom Expert has a useful check list to determine if it is true medicinal turkey tail.
Become a member and learn more about wild mushroom foraging in Texas!
Membership benefits include early access and discounts to walks, workshops, and more. Your membership helps support the larger community! Tag us to get help with ID and add your observations to iNaturalist.org. If you are trying a new mushroom, confirm the ID with an expert, then try a small amount to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction. Texas Mushroom Identification Facebook group is great for quick responses and ID help. Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist.
Follow my adventures @forage.atx.
January Mushroom of the Month: Mulch Maids, Leratiomyces percevalii
The January of the Month for November is the Mulch Maid, Leratiomyces percevalii
🍄⭐The January mushroom of the month is the Mulch Maid, Leratiomyces percevalli.
🙌 to Scott for naming that mushroom correctly and becoming the newest member of Central Texas Mycology!
You can also be a supporting member to stay dialed-in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom.
What’s that growing in my mulch pile?
Leratiomyces percevalii, commonly known as Mulch Maids, are a common companion of mulch piles, waste places, grassy areas, and woodchips. Growing throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia, these saprobic mushrooms are small but mighty decomposers. It is unclear whether these mushrooms are natives of north America or more recent immigrants. However, their benefit to our ecosystems is undeniable.
How to ID mulch maids
Cap - 2.5-8 cm; convex to broadly convex or broadly bell-shaped; sticky when fresh but soon dry; honey yellow when young, quickly becoming yellowish, whitish, or dingy olive; smooth or finely hairy in places; the margin adorned with hanging white partial veil remnants, especially when young.
Gills - Attached to the stem or beginning run down it; close; whitish at first, becoming purplish gray to purple-black.
Stem - 4-13 cm long; up to about 1 cm thick; equal or tapered to base; dry; with a ring zone that darkens with falling spores; finely hairy; whitish, developing reddish brown discolorations from the base upwards; base usually hairy, with prominent mycelial threads.
Flesh: Whitish.
Spore Print - Dark purple-brown to blackish.
are they edible?
Mulch maids are not known to be poisonous but nor are they considered forgeable. It is reported that they have a radish like flavor, though it is not recommended to experiment with unknown mushrooms.
A similar looking species that grows in similar habitat is Agrocybe praecox, the spring fieldcap, a species that looks similar but blooms in the spring instead of the fall.
BECOME A SUPPORTING MEMBER & stay Dialed in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom
January Foraging Forecast
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Texas after rain.
Learn wild, edible mushrooms fruiting in Texas after rain.
Comes with download of a Wild Edible Mushroom Calendar.
Wood Blewit Collybia species, formerly Lepista, Clitocybe
Description: Lilac to purple-pink. Gills are attached to short, stout stem with bulbous base.
Habitat: Grows in and decomposes leaf duff
Size: 3-6" cap diamter Spore Color: Light pink to white
Edibility: Good. Try in breakfast tacos
Look-alikes: Purple webcaps in the Cortinarius genus can be toxic and grow in same habitat. Spore print is rust colored.
Lion’s Mane, Hericium erinaceus
Lion’s mane is a choice edible mushroom that rarely grows in the wild in Central Texas. I have foraged it a few times and it fruits on the cankers of post oaks in Central Texas. It is more abundant in East Texas on decaying oaks.
DESCRIPTION: Tooth fungus, fuzzy and turns yellow as it ages.
HABITAT: Fruits on decomposing hardwood or heartwood or cankers of living post oak in the winter after rain. SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: 4-12"+ h & w
EDIBILITY: Mildly sweet flavor, tender texture that mimics shellfish like scallops, crab, or lobster. Medicinal
LOOK A-LIKE: Hericium americanum, Bear's Head Tooth & Hericium Coralloides, Coral Tooth (Edible). Marshmallow polypore, Irpiciporus pachyodon (Inedible)
MEDICINAL BENEFITS
Not only does this mushroom taste delicious, it’s good for you. Lion’s mane mushrooms contain bioactive substances that have beneficial effects on the body, especially the brain, heart and gut. Scientific studies have found this mushroom may:
✨ Reduce Inflammation
✨ Relieve Depression and Anxiety
✨ Protect against dementia and Alzheimer's
✨ Protect Against Ulcers in the Digestive Tract
✨ Reduce Heart Disease Risk
✨ Help Manage Diabetes Symptoms
✨ Cancer Fighting Properties
Where to Buy
It is also cultivated by several local mushroom farms and available at farmers markets and groceries stores. You can also pick them up at various locations in Central Texas with our mushroom block giveaway program and get a second fruiting in the cool winter months.
Hi-Fi Myco and Cap City Shrooms at farmers markets and Central Market
SmallHold at Central Market, Whole Foods
Go here for a complete list of Texas mushroom companies.
OYSTER: Pleurotus ostreatus
DESCRIPTION: Color can vary white, tan and gray.White to cream gills, run down stem.
HABITAT: Grows in clusters and decomposes hardwood.
SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: Cap fan shaped, 2"-8" across.
EDIBILITY: Choice. Delicious meat replacement in all types of cuisines
LOOK A-LIKE: The Southern Jack-o-lantern, Omphalotus subilludens is the toxic look-a-like and is orange to brown in color. They do grow at the same time but their habitat and morphology is different.
Chicken of the Woods: Laetiporus, 4 species in texas
Description: Orange to yellow polypore, with yellow or white pores on underside.
Habitat: Grows in shelfs on heartwood of dead or dying oaks.
Spore Color: White Size: 6-12" width
Edibility: Contains proteins, fat, fiber and tastes just like chicken! Harvest when young, colorful, and moist. Becomes lighter in color, fiborus, mealy and dry, inedible with age.
Look-alikes: Shaggy Bracket, Inonotus hispidus (non-toxic)
Ringless Honey Mushroom: Desarmillaria & ArmillariA Species
Ringless Honey Mushroom, Desarmillaria caespitosa will start been popping up all over Austin in large clusters at the bases of trees (when the clusters appear to be terrestrial they are actually growing from underground wood) in late summer and fall. This parasitic fungus is part of a genus that is the largest living organism ever found on this planet.
Description: Honey-colored, dry, scaly to sticky cap. Mellea species has a ring on the stem. Gills, some species have a ring.
Habitat: Grows in clusters on decaying hard-wood.
Spore Color: White
Size: 6" in Height
Edibility: Not Choice.
Look-alikes: Southern Jack-o-lantern, Omphalotus subilludens which is toxic and orange to brown in color.
REISHI: Ganoderma, 12 species in Texas
DESCRIPTION: Polypore with woody, varnished texture, banded red to brown colors with white pores on underside.
HABITAT: Grows at base or on hardwood stumps, logs, especially oaks and pecan. Pines in East Texas.
SPORE COLOR: Brown
SIZE: 4-10" width
EDIBILITY: Medicinal. Very bitter because of medicinal compounds.
LOOK-ALIKES: Red-Belted Conk, Fomitosis Pinicola (also medicinal).
Witches Butter. Tremella mesenterica
Description: Bright yellow, parasitic jelly fungus
Habitat: Found on angiosperm bark and feeds on wood-decay fungi in the genus Peniophora consuming them as it grows.
Spore Color: White to Yellow Size: up to 3"
Edibility: Edible and flavorless. Studies suggest antitumor, antioxidative, and antiallergenic. Candied witch’s butter, resembling sour gummy candy, is a delightful treat packed with health benefits.
Look a-likes: Golden Ear or Tremella aurantia, Orange jelly or Dacrymyces palmatus and Fan-shaped Jelly Fungus or Dacryopinax spathularia are all edible.
WOOD EAR: Auricularia 6+- species in Texas
DESCRIPTION: Brown to amber in color. Jelly texture that is irregular, wavy, and ear-shaped. Lacks gills or pores.
HABITAT: Grows in clusters on decaying hardwood after rain
SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: 4-6" in width and > 1/4" thick
EDIBILITY: Wood ear mushrooms are a popular ingredient in many Chinese dishes, such as hot and sour soup, and also used in Chinese medicine. It is also used in Ghana, as a blood tonic. Modern research into possible medical applications has variously concluded that wood ear has anti-tumor, hypoglycemic, anticoagulant and cholesterol-lowering properties.
LOOK-ALIKES: Amber Jelly, Exidia recisa which is also edible.
Puffball: Lycoperdon and Calvatia, 15+- species in Texas
DESCRIPTION: Smooth and spherical, deflate and turn purplish or brown on inside with age making inedible. Some peal and have spines.
HABITAT: Overgrazed Prairie or grasslands.
SPORE COLOR: Purple-brown
SIZE: 2- 60" diameter
EDIBILITY: Doesn’t have a strong flavor of its own and absorb flavors. Try making a Giant Puffball Pizza.
LOOK-ALIKES: Amanita species which can contain toxins and be fatal. If center of puffball is not white, it can cause GI distress.
TURKEY TAIL Trametes versicolor
DESCRIPTION: Variable coloration, distinct striping pattern. No gills, pores are small and round, white to light brown
HABITAT: Grows in overlapping clusters on logs and stumps
SPORE COLOR: White
SIZE: Cap fan shaped, 2"-8" across.
EDIBILITY: Medicinal. Tough, leathery flesh. Can be brewed into a tea, broth, or extracted into a tincture.
LOOK A-LIKE: False turkey tail. or Stereum ostrea and is non-toxic. Mushroom Expert has a useful check list to determine if it is true medicinal turkey tail.
Become a member and learn more about wild mushroom foraging in Texas!
Membership benefits include early access and discounts to walks, workshops, and more. Your membership helps support the larger community! Tag us to get help with ID and add your observations to iNaturalist.org. If you are trying a new mushroom, confirm the ID with an expert, then try a small amount to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction. Texas Mushroom Identification Facebook group is great for quick responses and ID help. Also, don't forget to add your finds on the Mushrooms of Texas project on iNaturalist.
Follow my adventures @forage.atx.
2024: Another Magical Year of Mycelial Growth
2024 has been a true underground adventure—myceliating through rich soils, spreading spores like rebellious devil’s cigars bursting into cosmic stardom.
2024 has been a true underground adventure—myceliating through rich soils, spreading spores like rebellious devil’s cigars bursting into cosmic stardom. Since our scrappy nonprofit sprouted in 2019, we’ve been 100% volunteer-powered, a scrappy fungal network organizing community outreach, creative programming, and a recycling program that turns waste into magic.
RECORD MEMBERSHIP
Membership has grown to over 1,250+ supporters from 170 cities in 17 different states. You can support us by with a individual or family membership, by volunteering, or making a one-time donation. Volunteers are automatic members and get 50% discount on merch and event tickets.
250,000+ Blocks Composted
Mountains of “spent mushroom blocks” have been rescued from the waste and are myceliating, growing mushrooms, building healthy soil and community. An estimated that 250,000+ blocks have been composted annually in Central Texas. We are grateful for the donations and over 250 volunteers.
Record No. of Education Events
We had 135 education events including mushroom walks, talks, block giveaways, and workshops in 22 cities and 3 states, reaching over 14,000 students. The mycelium is running in Houston, San Antonio, Bastrop, Boerne, Waco with many events in the Austin area. Next year we plan to reach even more cities and counties in Texas.
DNA Barcoding Mushrooms
Late this year we began collecting mushrooms of Texas to monitor diversity and add observations with DNA bar-coding to MycoMap, a project by Mycota Labs. So far we have collected 47 species and this next year we will be collaborating with ACC students and doing more collection walks.
Health Soils, Healthy Trees
We wrapped up the third year of Healthy Soil, Healthy Trees, a partnership with City of Austin Urban Forestry Dept., Ecology Action. Next year we will be working with TreeFolks to conduct community research on mycorrhizal relationships in urban reforestation efforts. We will continue to do research through 2025 so keep an eye out for community workshops.
What’s in Store for 2025:
Spring Recipe Zine
DNA Barcoding of Texas Mushrooms
Camping Forays
Art Workshops
K-12 Lesson Plans
Let’s hope for more rain and then mushrooms! Join us in becoming a supporting member as we continue to be mesmerized by fungi!
Enter to Win a Texas Mushroom Tee
Your feedback is essential to us. Take a few moments to share your thoughts on this year’s educational events and be entered to win. Your response will help us improve future events and create a better experience for all!
How You Can Support
🧧Become a supporting member or give a membership gift card.
👕Purchase merch including our new Texas mushrooms tee with a design from Mystic Multiples.
✋Volunteer and help us keep organic matter out of the waste.
🍄 Give a ♻️🍄🧱 underneath your trees to protect them this coming winter.
💸 Make a donation to support mycology education and the recycling program.
December Mushroom of the Month: Witch’s Butter, Tremella mesenterica
The December of the Month for November is the Witch’s Butter, Tremella mesenterica
🍄⭐The December mushroom of the month is 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 commonly known as witches butter!
🙌 to Sanjay from Houston for naming that mushroom correctly and becoming the newest member of Central Texas Mycology!
You can also be a supporting member to stay dialed-in with events & discover next month’s mystery mushroom.
What’s That Gooey Glob?
During the cooler, wetter months of fall and winter, Tremella mesenterica, commonly known as witch's butter, appears as yellow, gelatinous masses on dead hardwood bark. Its fluorescent hue brightens the gloomy landscape, though the fungus feels tough and rubbery despite resembling jelly. Witch's butter is a parasitic jelly fungus that feeds on wood-decay fungi in the genus Peniophora, consuming them as it grows.
a foragers delight
Witch’s butter is abundant and edible, best collected when young and rubbery. In China, it is used to prepare a traditional cooling soup with ingredients like lotus seeds, lily bulbs, and jujube, valued for its immunomodulating properties. Across Asia, witch’s butter has been used for centuries to improve circulation and respiration. Studies suggest it has antitumor, antioxidative, and antiallergenic properties. Candied witch’s butter, resembling sour gummy candy, is a delightful treat packed with health benefits.
myth and legend
With a name like Witch’s Butter, it’s no surprise this fungus is steeped in myth and lore. According to European legend, it grows on the door frames of homes cursed by a witch’s hex.
The curse could only be lifted by piercing the fungus with a pin to drain its fluid. However, the fungus rehydrates with the next rain, which seemed ominous to superstitious residents. Today, we understand Witch’s Butter as a fascinating natural ally rather than a harbinger of doom.