Searching For Wild Mushrooms, A Summer Hike With My Macro Lens

Summer moves on. It is August now. And here,  in Northeastern Pennsylvania, in most years that means the many species of wild mushrooms are sprouting in our forest and woodlands. The key ingredient is rain. And we have had plenty  this year. So this morning I was off searching for some of my favorite edible wild mushrooms, such as this red/yellow bolete. 

Once again, I must caution my blog readers that you should never consume a wild mushroom unless you are 100 per cent sure it is safe. There are many species of mushrooms which can make you seriously ill or kill you. For real. Many species of the amanita species shown here are poisonous. 

I won’t reveal where I hike today.Mushroom gathering folks don’t share their secret spots.  I left early with my camera and macro lens. I immediately found some milker  mushroom.  A member of the russula species of mushrooms, it is called a milker or milky mushroom because of the white latex-like liquid that exudes from the mushroom when cut or bruised. Don’t get it on your clothing. It stains brown and cannot me removed. 

There were also an abundance of chanterelle mushrooms. A good edible but they quickly  become infested with insects . I was able to gather a few good ones. 

As I walked through the woods I encountered dozens of red efts, the terrestrial   phase of the eastern newt. 

I love seeing this cute critters scamper on the forest floor. 

A short while later I also came across the aquatic phase of the eastern newt.in a small pond along the trail  

Unfortunately, I saw a frog nearby and tried to capture it. I didn’t realize I was stepping into  a very camouflaged mud puddle. Not fun. 

I continued my hike finding a few daddy long leg spiders on the forest floor or on a fern or leaf. This spiders are poisonous but are not a threat to humans since their fangs cannot pierce our skin. 

Hanging on a silk thread along the trail  was this caterpillar. 

I continued to find some edible mushroom and a lot more inedible ones, some of which were poisonous like these jock-o-lanterns. 

I found a few more bolete mushrooms including this king bolete. 

Bolete mushroom have pores

while russula, amanita and many other mushrooms have gills. 

I came across some more interesting species including these earthstars and 

these club fungi.

It was a beautiful day to be in the woods. I enjoyed the sunshine filtering through the trees and illuminating the ferns. As I neared my jeep at the end of my six-mile hike I saw this raptor perched in a tree. Unfortunately, I only had my macro lens so I couldn’t get very good photographs. I am not sure what type of hawk it was but was told likely a juvenile red-shouldered hawk, 

A perfect way to end the hike. It wasn’t a bad day. Here is what I gathered. 

And this is what I did with them. Dinner. Three species of milkers, a king bolete, some red/yellow bolete and  some chanterelle mushrooms. It was another great Summer day in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Here is a link to some more photographs from my hike. Macro hike August 3 2019.

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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