The Mighty Bolete...mushroom, that is...

 Oh my, everywhere we look we see mushrooms! It has been so rainy that we really are reminded of the fact that the mycelia of mushrooms (fine threads that result from the spores and give rise to the vegetative mushroom bodies) are interlaced in the soil beneath our feet, on tree trunks, tree roots, and rotten trees.

Orange Birch Bolete (Leccinum versipelle)

Of the many species we have seen, the bolete mushrooms have been quite eye-catching due to their size and sometimes strangeness of structure! I think that his is an Orange Birch Bolete (Leccinum versipelle) that was growing near the side of Hix Small Cemetery Road.

Orange Birch Bolete (Leccinum versipelle)

Isn't it funky! Bolete mushrooms cannot survive without a host tree like oak, aspen, birch, and some with pine and fir. You many not know what tree it is associated with because they may be growing off the roots of the tree.

And, here is a less mature specimen we found growing further down the road, deeper into the forest. As you can see, the white flesh of the stem blackens when bruised.

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But wait, there's more! I thinking that this was Xerocomellus chrysenteron (formerly known as Boletus chrysenteron), but I cannot be sure. There are so many species that are so similar.

I do see purple tinging the edge of the cap a bit better in this other view, depending on the lighting. It is an indicator of this species of mushroom.

Bolete mushrooms have tubes and pores instead of gills through which the spores are released. This mature bolete seems to have some purple around the edges.

You can see that the flesh of the cap is yellow where damaged. This is consistent with a description of the Xerocomellus chrysenteron, but I cannot confirm this as I did not do all the different tests and observations necessary to determine it.

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Suillus americanus aka Chicken Fat Mushroom!

This yellow mushroom caught my eye when visiting the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in September. The slimy looking yellow cap with bits of orange veil attached to the cap edge gives it the common name of Chicken Fat mushroom. Its scientific name is Suillus americanus. It has a yellow stem, and has pores on the underside of the cap that release spores just like any bolete mushroom. These mushrooms grow in a mycorrhizal association with Eastern White Pine trees. NOTE: Some people experience contact dermatitis after touching these shrooms.

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