Journal #3: Fungi and Lichen

Date: October 16, 2018
Time: 5:06pm-6:36pm
Temperature: 65 degrees Fahrenheit
Weather: Sunny with clouds

Upon returning back to the observation site, I began my search for lichen and fungi. In search for the lichen, I found it quite difficult to find different types on the branches of trees that were of avail to my reach. I found two types: Shield Lichen and Farinose Cartilage Lichen. The Shield Lichen was a pale blue-greenish color on top, with loosely appressed leaves. The underside of the Shield Lichen was a brownish-red color. On the tops of the lichen, there were some small bumps raised up on the leaves, and the leaves in length was approximately 1 centimeter long and the width varied in size. The Shield Lichen was found on a tree branch near the pond of my observation site, in an open area.
The Farinose Cartilage Lichen was found near the crook of the branch near the pond of my observation site. The color is a pale green and the length of a single leaf strand was approximately 3 centimeters. The main shape is similar to shrubby and the branching is irregular in length and thickness.

 

Shield Lichen (Parmelia sulcate) on branch

Farinose Cartilage Lichen (Ramalina farinaceous) on branch

However, the search for mushrooms were quite fascinating. I have been to this observation site for 3 weeks and I didn't notice the amount of different mushrooms growing around, granted that I had to wander a little bit away from my observation site, most of the mushrooms were growing on dead tree trunks and stumps, or just growing straight out of the ground, or growing on the side of tree trunks. Fly Agaric and Amanita Mushrooms have paper-thin white gills under the cap. The Amanita Mushrooms had an orange cap with white spotting of whitish warts, while the Fly Agaric had an orange color on the outer part of the cap and a dark red-brown in the middle of the cap with whitish wart spotting as well. Both mushrooms had the stem a white color with a bulbous base and a white ring near the top. Both were found in the ground surrounded by grass. The Tall Psathyrella was a gray-brown color. The cap was about 2 centimeters in diameter with a smooth rounded-conical shape cap. The gills are crowded and close together, as well as broad. The gills were a dark brownish gray color. The stem was very thin, approximately 0.2 millimeters in width, and very long, approximately 8 centimeters in length. The color was a pale grey color and was smooth to the touch. The Tall Psathyrella was found near the Fly Agaric mushroom, in the ground and surrounded by grass. The Crepidotus mollis' cap was white and light brown near the connecting root. The cap was approximately 1.5 centimeters in diameter and shaped similar to a kidney. When looking closely at the cap, there was faint striations running from the connecting point to the end of the cap. The pale brown gills were fanned out from the attachment point. There was no stem visible. The Crepidotus mollis was found in the crevasses of a dead fallen tree trunk's bark. The Crowned-tipped Coral Fungus is a white color whose fruitbody was about 8 centimeters in height and width. The Crowned-tipped Coral Fungus has a stalk-like base, and the branches culminate in crown-like tips. This was found on the side of a tree.

Cap and gills of Amanita Mushroom (Genus Amanita)

Distant view and cap view of Crepidotus mollis

Crowned-tipped Coral Fungus (Artomyces pyxidatus)

Cap and gills of Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)

Gilled Mushrooms (Order Agarical)

Tall Psathyrella (Psathyrella longpipes)

After searching for fungi and lichens, I returned back to my observation site and just listened and observed. The ground was moist and a little wet, but not exactly muddy. The leaves of trees are beginning to turn yellow and red as the Autumn season is upon us. There are some bigleaf maple leaves and red alder leaves found on the ground, but most are still attached to the branch of their respectable tree slowly changing colors. The weather today was nice and somewhat warm. There was sun breaking through the little clouds today, and there was a very small breeze that blew every once in a while. It was about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The observation site doesn't seem to be changing very much over the past 3 weeks. There weren't many animals around this time, except for many spiders chilling on their webs, and squirrels scurrying up tree trunks and across branches.

Update photo of 1sq. m picture of ground

Update photo of 50sq. m picture of observation site