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Forest Fungi in Full Color: A New England Mushroom Interlude

travelertina

12:09:30 September 5, 2023

in
US,US: New England

I love those moments of woodland surprise when New England forest mushrooms appear at my feet, on a fallen log, or clinging to the bark of a tree. In wet summers and autumns, they march out in full force.

Dense cluster of smooth orange mushrooms growing in layered tiers on the side of a tree trunk in a shaded New England woodland.

New England mushrooms are impressive, but mushroom identification is a notoriously tricky business. To give you a sense of how complicated this can get, Audubon’s mushroom ID guide notes that “distinguishing certain groups of look-alikes, such as LBM’s (‘little brown mushrooms’) may require microscopic examination or chemical analysis.” And I’m no mycologist. But I love these little spots of wonder on the forest floor.

I can never resist a bit of fungi photography, and I’m excited to share the mushrooms I’ve seen, arranged roughly by color. Enjoy the pictures!

A Jewelbox of Red Mushrooms

Ruby-red bolete mushroom growing out of the moss on the floor of a New England forest
Bright red mushroom with a smooth rounded cap pushing through dry brown leaves, next to a single green leaf on the New England forest floor.
Velvety red bolete mushroom with a wide cap growing up out of fallen leaves in the New England sunlight
Deep red mushroom, likely a type of russula, with white gills and stem, growing out of leaf litter in New England
Flat, reddish-brown mushroom with darker patches and a velvety surface surrounded by soft green moss in a shady New England forest.
Cluster of bright red mushrooms with white stems emerging from damp leaves and twigs, their glossy caps catching the forest light in New England.
Wide red mushroom with white gills and chipped edges nestled in a bed of soft green moss and fallen oak leaves in a New England forest.
Pinkish-red mushroom with a slightly sunken cap and pale stem emerging from mossy ground beside tree roots in a New England forest.
Red mottled painted suillus mushroom amidst fallen leaves and pine needles in New England
Single reddish-brown mushroom with a velvety cap rising from vivid green moss in a New England forest.
Bright red mushroom with a rounded cap growing among fallen leaves, twigs, and acorn shells in a New England woodland.

Fungi in Orange Sunset Hues

Pair of red-orange mushrooms with yellow stems beside a patch of green moss in a New England woodland.
Golden yellow mushroom with a deep orange center and pleated cap growing beside moss and rock in a shaded New England woodland.
Vivid red-orange shelf fungus emerging from the bark of a decaying tree, contrasting sharply against dark soil and leaf litter in New England woods.
Small vivid orange mushroom, likely a vermillion waxcap, pushing sideways through a dry brown leaf on the forest floor in New England.
Orange-capped mushroom with a slightly cracked surface pushing up through pale lichen-covered rock and soil in a shaded New England woodland.
Velvety deep orange-capped ruby bolete mushroom (Hortiboletus rubellus) rising out of a moss-covered rock

Orangey-Yellow Mushroom Standouts

Glowing orange jelly fungus with irregular, folded shapes spreading along a moss-covered log in a shaded New England forest.
Trio of bright orangey-yellow mushrooms at various stages of growth sprouting through leaf litter and twigs on a New England forest path.
Cluster of bright orangey-yellow mushrooms emerging through fallen oak leaves on the forest floor in New England.
Small orangey-yellow mushroom with a smooth rounded cap speckled with yellow patches, among the fallen leaves of a New England forest.
Cluster of golden yellow and orange mushrooms growing at the base of a mossy log in a New England forest.
Broad orange mushroom with a gleaming cap and white edges, growing beside decaying wood and moss in a sun-dappled New England forest.
Thick yellow-orange bolete mushroom with a cracked, textured cap set among moss and pine needles in a New England forest.
Six orange-yellow mushrooms in a line, possibly orange mycena, growing out of a dead tree stump next to green and fallen leaves

Vibrant Yellow Mushrooms

Bright yellow amanita mushroom with a smooth cap and ringed stalk emerging from brown forest leaves in New England.
Small yellow mushroom dotted with pale speckles and a thick white stem rising from damp earth among twigs and leaves in New England.
Golden-yellow amanita mushroom with a spotted cap and sturdy stem growing beside moss-covered bark and pine needles in a New England forest.
Cluster of bright yellow coral fungi with finger-like spires rising from dark soil and leaf litter in a damp New England woodland.
Brilliant yellow mushroom with a smooth, slightly wavy cap standing out against fallen brown leaves on the New England forest floor.
Flat yellow mushroom with a slightly uneven cap emerging through dry brown leaves on the New England forest floor.
Large golden mushroom with subtle ridges and an uneven cap nestled among dry leaves and forest debris in New England woods.
Bright yellow mushroom with a smooth, sunlit cap emerging from brown leaf litter and moss on the forest floor in New England.
Quartet of small pale yellow mushrooms, possibly golden waxcap, growing out of leaf litter next to two green leaves on a New England forest floor
Orange-yellow mushroom with an irregular cap growing next to a green lichen patch on the forest floor covered in dry oak leaves.
Orange-yellow shelf fungus growing from a decaying log on the forest floor in New England woods.
Golden yellow mushroom with a smooth domed cap and a pale white stem emerging through grass and soil in a sunny New England clearing.
Dense cluster of spongy yellow coral fungi with branching, finger-like tips growing among fallen leaves and pine needles in a sunlit New England forest.

A Single Green Giant

Green-cracking Russula mushroom, with a pale green cap that has a pattern of grey, angular patches, growing in moss and grasses

Unexpected Purple Caps

Violet webcap growing up out of leaf litter on a New England forest floor
Vibrant purple mushroom with a smooth cap and pale stem emerging from damp leaf litter on the New England forest floor.
Lilac-capped violet webcap, growing out of the fallen leaves next to a branch in New England

Bright White Fungi

White coral fungus with branching, fingerlike tips growing among dry brown leaves on the forest floor in New England.
Two cream-colored mushrooms with smooth, rounded caps growing beside a fallen log and scattered brown leaves in a New England forest.
Pale white mushroom with a brain-like, wrinkled surface growing near moss and decaying leaves on the New England forest floor.
Smooth, pale white mushroom, a destroying angle of the Amanita variety, with a rounded, shiny cap and tall stem standing among dry leaves and fallen twigs on the New England forest floor
Tall, cream-colored death cap mushroom(Amanita phalloides), with a shiny, flat cap, growing out of the leaf litter in New England
Delicate cluster of small white coral-like fungi sprouting through pine needles and dry leaves in a New England forest.
White bracket fungi growing on a moss-covered fallen log in a shaded New England woodland.

Dark and Dotted New England Forest Mushrooms

Shaggy, brown-spotted old man of the wood mushroom growing against New England grasses, stones, and acorns
Two trumpet-shaped mushrooms with velvety interiors, one black and one brown, growing side by side on mossy green ground in New England woods.
Solitary brown-spotted old man of the wood mushroom highlighted against vivid green moss in a New England forest

Mushrooms in a World of Brown

Long line of light brown mushrooms with darker brown centers growing along a moss-covered log in New England
Cluster of brown forest mushrooms with rippled caps and visible gills growing in damp soil and pine litter in New England.
Pair of round, textured puffball mushrooms with bumpy tan surfaces growing on vivid green moss in a shady New England forest.
Brown mushroom with a ragged, frilled cap and central depression, growing on gritty forest soil among twigs and acorns in New England.
Slender brown mushroom with a broad flat cap, pale gills, and a tall stem rising through moss and fallen twigs in a New England forest.
Large cluster of dark brown mushrooms with lighter centers growing tightly together on mossy forest ground in New England.
Large brown mushroom with a striking cracked pattern on its cap, resembling a mosaic, nestled among moss and grass in New England woods.
Two large orange-brown mushrooms with velvety caps growing close together on mossy ground amid sticks and forest debris in New England.
Wide, golden-brown mushroom with white spots and torn edges rising from grassy moss in a sunlit New England meadow.
Long-stemmed, flat-capped brown amanita mushroom rising out of fallen leaves on a New England forest floor
Broad brown mushroom with scalloped edges growing from decaying wood and surrounded by lichen-covered bark in New England woodland.
Pair of pale cream-colored mushrooms with brown speckles and rounded caps emerging from mossy soil near pine needles in New England forest.
Trio of short, waxy brown mushrooms growing up from rocky, leaf-littered soil in New England
Single puffy brown bolete mushroom growing out of a moss-covered rock in New England
Cluster of tan, textured mushrooms growing tightly together on rough tree bark in a damp patch of New England woodland.
Cluster of three tan mushrooms with cracked, net-like caps growing on moss-covered ground in a sunlit patch of New England forest.
Single orange-brown mushroom with a velvety cap pushing through leaf litter in a quiet patch of New England woodland.
Pair of pale brown mushrooms with tall stems and split caps surrounded by dry leaves in a New England woodland.
Two brown mushrooms with textured caps and slight white marks, growing among wood chips and dried leaves in a shaded area.
Pair of orange-brown mushrooms rising through dry oak leaves on the New England forest floor, their caps softly ridged and sunlit.
Orange-brown mushroom with a tall white stem and dotted surface standing on a bed of moss and pine needles in a shaded New England forest.
Cluster of multicolored bracket fungi, likely turkey tails, with layered brown, tan, and green bands, growing on a fallen tree trunk

I’ve admired mushrooms in many places — even at the Mushroom Museum of Meteora in Greece — but there’s something special about finding them after a New England rain.

Want to try your hand at mushroom identification? iNaturalist is a great place to start.

One response to “Forest Fungi in Full Color: A New England Mushroom Interlude”

  1. Pingback: Quiet Acadia: Visiting Mount Desert Island in November – Traveler Tina·

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