is often one of the first cortinarii to appear each year in eastern north america, where it is found under oaks. in my area (central illinois) only cortinarius distans precedes it, cortinarius-wise. may and june are the months for cortinarius distans, while cortinarius hesleri appears in june and july...
, cystoderma amianthinum is found with some regularity in northern and montane (including appalachian) regions of north america. it is usually found growing in moss, under conifers. distinguishing physical features for cystoderma amianthinum include the yellowish brown to yellowish cap; the dense coating...
. to the naked eye, it is "distinct" in that its cap and stem are black, dry, and not finely velvety. this narrows things down to a handful of species, but you are not likely to get much further in the identification process without firing up the microscope. geoglossum umbratile has amazing, septate...
if you catch it in its early stages of development, when it is distinctively parrot-green (and decidedly slimy). but it quickly begins to change colors, turning yellow or orange, and then fading to a sort of dingy straw color. by the end of this transformation, the parrot mushroom has become a nondescript...
, but soon begins to develop grayish brown colors in the center of the cap, and by maturity the cap may be brownish or grayish brown overall--except for the margin, which usually remains paler. it lacks a distinctive odor, and its cap and stem are slimy; these features help distinguish it from some of...
caps that feature not one but two veils protecting the young gills. the "inner veil" is composed of tiny threadlike fibers, and the "outer veil" is composed of thick slime. when the mushroom approaches maturity the cap expands to break the veils, which then are left to form a sheath around the stem. in...
pale, whitish to yellowish colors and its association with european willows. it is reported to prefer wet, grassy areas, often near lakes (heilmann-clausen et al., ), and my collection, illustrated and described here, was made in just such a location in italy's lake district. similar european species...
america, but is almost never treated in field guides. perhaps it has simply been passed over as another lbm ("little brown mushroom")--but while it is tiny and brownish, it has enough distinctive features to make it fairly easy to recognize, even without microscopic analysis. you will have to squint...
seemingly absent in others. in my area (central illinois), at least four species of tylopilus can look very similar, especially at maturity, when their caps have faded to tan. distinguishing these mushroomsin the field requires close observation of three details: taste . tylopilus rubrobrunneus and...
taylorii, a european species recorded in north america by several volvariella authors (shaffer ; monoson, methven & sundberg, ). distinguishing features include the relatively small size, the grayish to brown cap; the gray volva ; the terrestrial habitat; and the fairly small spores (see measurements...