Trametes villosa

March 10^th. I went over to the Oconee Heritage Park off US-441 south of Bishop, Georgia, to look for early wildflowers that I’d seen last year. I decided to look for fungi in the woods along the way.

I noticed a log with some small, cream-colored bracket fungi that resembled the almost ubiquitous Turkey Tails (Trametes versicolor). These brackets were the same size as T. versicolor, about 1.4 inches across, and ‘paper-thin.’ They were growing in overlapping clusters on the side of, or in rosettes on top of the log. They were a little unusual in being so light colored. I almost dismissed them as being T. versicolor but they were pretty and I stopped to photograph them.

They resembled young…

T. versicolor brackets that I had found at home some years ago. Turkey Tails are identified by the fact that they have distinct zones of color on their caps, and…

white-to-light-tan undersides with small pores (holes).

I took a photo of a cluster on the side of the log, and a…

closeup of one of them, that showed the finely hairy surface characteristic of these small Trametes sp. 

I almost left without photographing the undersides of one of the brackets. In the bright sunlight, I couldn’t really see the detail on the undersides. In fact, it was so bright, that I depended on the camera to focus on the pores without my being able to see them clearly. I didn’t see the pore structure detail until I got home and was processing the images.

I was very surprised, and excited, when I found that they had maze-like pores rather than the near circular pores of T. versicolor. This was the first time that I had found a Trametes sp. like this. It was one of the Turkey Tail ‘look-alikes.’ 

Two Trametes sp., T. villosa and T. pubescens, were suspects. Both are light-colored, without the stronger color zones characteristic of T. versicolor. T. pubescens appear to be sturdy brackets – up to 2.5 inches across and 0.5 inches thick – with angular pores (3-5/mm). T. villosa are described as up to 2.5 inches across, but only a few mm thick, and with pores that elongate as they age.

I have concluded that the brackets I found are T. villosa. This was an exciting find; this species is not reported frequently. I was lucky to find it. And I guess the moral of the find is, always to look at anything slightly out of the usual, and always look, and photograph, the undersides. 

References:

- Michael Kuo, Mushroom Expert: Trametes villosa 

- Michael Kuo, Mushroom Expert: Trametes pubescens 

- Messiah College: Trametes pubscens

Acer rubrum (Red Maple)

March 3. One tree had bloomed before the Serviceberry tree. The Red Maple (Acer rubrum) had bloomed. I’d seen the blooms, but they were high up, and in the shade. No way to hook them and bring them down for a close-up shot. But the clusters of samaras – their seeds – were a different matter.

They were a bright red and, at the right time of day, were caught in the sunlight.

Although there are several Red Maples along this trail, this tree put on the best show this year.

References: 

- Native and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Acer rubrum 

- USDA Plant Database: Acer rubrum (Red Maple)

Amelanchier arborea (Serviceberry)

Time to get back to the blog, sadly neglected for a couple of months. Too much time on the internet, but learning new things, and more about old friends.

March 3^rd. The Serviceberry tree is one of the earliest to bloom at the lake. The first time I saw it, I was rowing and was surprised to see clusters of white flowers on a tree on the lakeshore. I was able to find a low branch with flowers, and identify it. Since then, I always keep an eye out for them.

This tree, approximately 25 feet tall, was growing right on the lakeshore. I wasn’t sure that I could reach flowers to photograph. That’s where my snake hook comes in handy. I was able to hook a lower branch and carefully pull it down to eye height.

Only one of the flowers was open; most were still at the bud stage.

I didn’t have much hope that I’d find opened flowers on March 8^th when I passed this site again. I was lucky. I found that there were several young tress, about 7-8 feet tall, growing around the taller tree. These had flowers too, and I was able to find…

clusters (racemes) with most of the flowers opened.

‘Locals’ have an explanation for the common name, Serviceberry. During the winter, mountain roads would often be in such poor condition and the weather so cold and inclement, that circuit-riding preachers would suspend church services for several months. Since the ground was hard, graves could also not be dug, The blooming of the Serviceberry indicated that the ground had thawed sufficiently for graves to be dug, and burial services conducted. Since the name was applied to English and New World trees in the 16^th century, the local etymology is unlikely, although it would have been practical.

References:

- Native and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Amelanchier arborea 

- USDA Plant Database: Amelanchier arborea (Common Serviceberry) 

- Wikipedia: Amelanchier

Phaeolus schweinitzii (Dyer’s Polypore)

August.  I almost missed this fungus as I walked along the trail. But there it was…

a Phaeolus schweinitzii fruiting body. It looked as if it was growing in the soil. However, these fungi grow in wood. P. schweinitzii has a preference for growing on conifers and it’s very likely that it was growing on submerged roots from the pine stump in the background.

This fruiting body was a simple cap approximately 4.5 inches in diameter. Often, these fungi develop multiple lobes and look much more elaborate than this one. The cap has concentric zones of browns, with a yellow margin; the yellow margin is characteristic of this species. Some caps have more orange tones than this one.

The cap is often depressed in the center as this one was. In fact, it had rained the previous evening and this cap was full of water when I found it. I had to drain it and blot it ‘dry’ to capture some of its surface characteristics.

This close-up of the cap shows the ‘felted’ appearance that is indicative of the velvet surface of the cap when it's dry. It’s interesting that there is a small cream area in the upper right of the image that indicates that the cap may have been beginning to develop another lobe.

I used a mirror to photograph the underside of the cap. The pore surface is a gold color, also characteristic of this species, and also appears to have a velvet texture. The pores are slotted and someone maze-like. The surface of the pores turn brown when bruised, as is evident in the upper part of the lower image. 

This fungus is commonly called the Dyer’s Polypore because it can be used to dye wool. 

Phaeolus schweinitzii is distributed widely in the northern hemisphere, and has also been documented to occur in Europe, Africa, and Australia. 

References: 

Mushroom Expert. Phaeolus schweinitzii 

Discover Life: Phaeolus schweinitzii 

Mushroom Observer: Phaeolus schweinitzii

Neolentinus lepideus (Train Wrecker)

September.  I’ve seen Neolentinus lepideus, the Train Wrecker, on several occasions along the trail from the picnic shelter A to the Old Fort. These are striking mushrooms. They grow mainly on conifers and, occasionally, on hardwoods. I’ve found them growing on the stumps or fallen trunks of pine trees. Previously, I’d seen them in winter and early spring so I was surprised to find these in late September.

I didn’t see them as I walked north, but I couldn’t miss them on my way back down the trail. It’s easy to see why I couldn’t miss them.

They are impressive from a distance but, up close, these were works of art.

The cap diameter of the largest mushroom was approximately 4 inches. The brown scales that develop on the caps are one of the features for identifying these mushroom.

Views of these mushrooms, from the underside.

Scales are present on the stems are another identifying feature, as are…

the serrated margins on the gills. 

The common name of this mushroom, Train Wrecker, derives from the fact that these mushrooms can grow on, and cause rotting of, treated wood used as railroad ties. Rotting of the ties has resulted in train derailments.

Neolentinus lepideus occurs frequently in the northern hemisphere, but has been documented in Australia.

References:

Messiah College: Neolentinus lepideus 

Discover Life: Neolentinus lepideus

Tylopilus rhoadsiae (Pale Bitter Bolete)

September. The last bolete that I’ve been able to identify, thanks to friends on the Facebook ‘Boletes of North America’ group, was the Pale Bitter Bolete (Tylopilus rhoadsiae).

I spotted a pair of white boletes under a small bush a few feet from the base of a Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda). They were striking because they were almost pure white against the dark background. The caps were approximately 2.5-3 inches diameter and they stood about 3 inches high.

Closer inspection showed that the caps were slightly gray with pure white stems and pore surfaces. The pore surface darkens to a pink-gray color with age due to the color of the spores.

The stems showed delicate reticulation, particularly towards the apex. 

I found several smaller boletes around the base of the nearby pine tree a little way south of the bridge to the Fishing Area. The specimens I photographed were probably associated with roots of that pine. I didn't find them in any other location along this trail.

Tylopilus rhoadsiae is one of the rare white boletes and is also unusual because it is mycorrhizal - associated with the roots – with pines. Most boletes I found in this area were mycorrhizal with hardwoods. 

Tylopilus rhoadsiae­ occurs in the Southeastern United States, Mexico, and Central America.

References 

Mushroom Expert: Tylopilus rhoadsiae 

Discover Life: Tylopilus rhoadsiae

Exsudoporus frostii (Frost’s Bolete)

August. I saw Frost’s Bolete (Exsudoporus frostii; formerly Boletus frostii) for the first time on another trail in the park.

They were easily visible from the trail. Two ‘shiny’ red caps. The caps of young Frost’s boletes are sticky. 

When I turned one over, I could see the red reticulate stem and the red pore surface. (The fluid isn’t unusual in young specimens; older specimens usually have dry pore surfaces.) It didn’t take long to identify this species. 

I’ve since found it in several locations near the trail north, but not south, of the Fishing Area.

This beautiful specimen was growing between the trail and the reservoir shore.

Another older specimen, with a still somewhat shiny cap, was growing beside the trail.

The reticulation on the stem is much more pronounced, but less pigmented, in specimens as they age. The pore surface becomes brownish in older specimens although they still develop the deep blue/black color that results from bruising, when a colorless compound called boletol is exposed to air and oxidized to a blue color.

I’ve mentioned, on occasion, that I often sit or lie on the trail to take photographs. I was lying just past a slight bend in the trail when I took this photo. A tree in the bend hid me from other walkers on the trail. I became aware of a walker cautiously approaching, just out of eyesight. I realized that they could only see my legs and feet, and were probably wondering if they were encountering a body on the trail. I sat up and let them know I was a living creature. We laughed. This isn’t the first time other walkers have wondered if I was OK, but this was the funniest occurrence, depending on how you look at it.

Exsudoporus frostii had been found widely in eastern North America, Mexico, and Costa Rica.

References: 

Mushroom Expert: Boletus frostii 

Discover Life: Boletus frostii