Island Nature

Featuring Vancouver Island nature and landscape photography by Dave Ingram

BC Parks, Fungi, Macro Monday

More Mysterious Mushrooms

Dave Ingram
Orange Jelly-belly Coral | Ramaria gelatiniaurantia
Coral Fungus | Ramaria sp. – found growing alongside road in mixed Western Hemlock and Douglas Fir.

After walking the Karst Creek Trail on Sunday we headed down to the Ralph River campsite in Strathcona Provincial Park to look for more mushrooms. The weather continued to be variable and we knew that we had a small window of opportunity to walk the empty campsite before the rain started. We were glad we stopped because the mushrooms were abundant and different from the ones that we found at Karst Creek.

Different species of mushrooms associate with different habitat. At Ralph River old growth Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar and Western Hemlock are common trees. In addition, the gravel road edges and campsites at Ralph River were productive as well. We didn’t attempt to identify these mushrooms because our time was limited by both weather and small children and the day was getting late. However, it was great fun finding them!

Coral Fungus | Ramaria sp.
Coral Fungus | Ramaria sp.
Unsure of what this one was - it less blue than this image suggests, more of a grey/white. Found growing in groups alongside the road and in campsites.
Unsure of what this one was – it less blue than this image suggests, more of a grey/white. Found growing in groups alongside the road and in campsites.
This unidentified orange mushroom was growing in the same habitat as the gray mushroom above. The top was a "velvety" orange. See image below of the gills and stalk.
This unidentified orange mushroom was growing in the same habitat as the grey mushroom above. The top was a “velvety” orange. See image below of the gills and stalk.
The underside of the mushroom above. Gills, volva and spore prints would help to identify this species.
The underside of the orange mushroom above. Gills, volva and spore prints could help to identify this species.

These were just a few of the mushrooms we discovered at Ralph River. While we didn’t identify many of them, it was enjoyable to spend the afternoon appreciating their various forms, colours, and textures.

And yes, we made it back to the car just as it started to rain. The perfect end to a marvelous day of mushrooming!

Macro Monday

8 thoughts on “More Mysterious Mushrooms”

  1. I LOVE the coral fungus – how beautiful! I know fungi can be very difficult to identify, sometimes it comes down to the spore pattern and even the experts can get it wrong. I don’t attempt it unless it’s a really distinctive specimen!

  3. Thanks for the comment John – the coral fungus isn’t particularly uncommon (we always seem to see at least one on our walks in the late fall/early winter). However, they do come in a range of different colours. We usually see coral fungi that is pale whitish in colour so it was neat to find this orange one.

  4. HI- I’m here from MM. Thoroughly enjoy the combo of info with great photos. ’tis fun to learn something new.

  5. Hunting for mushrooms with a camera is fun but they have been scarce here this year. I’m not sure why although I suspect someone has been sneaking them out of the forest. (I’ve seen people with paper bags foraging for them.)

    These photos are wonderful.

  6. Thanks EG – It seems a little hit or miss this year. On the coast I haven’t seen too much in terms of numbers and variety. Strathcona Provincial Park always seems to be good for mushrooms, especially at this time of year.

  7. Thanks Gel – I’d have liked to have identified a few of them but I’m a novice when it comes to mushrooms. I know that you really need to take some samples and do spore prints in order to get conclusive IDs. Glad you enjoyed the images!

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