Observations of Fungi in the High Sierra July 7-12 (by )
I recently returned from a llama-assisted trip into the Sierra Nevada near Sonora Pass. I didn't expect to find much in the way of mushrooms. It was very dry despite the daily appearance of clouds and occasional thundershowers. But spring comes late to the high Sierras. Here are the few mushrooms I saw.
This first mushroom sprouted from the brown-rotted base of a fallen Ponderosa Pine.
This was at about 8,220 ft. elevation. The cap was about 18 cm in diameter. Sorry, no spore print was obtained as we were en route. My first thought was that this might be Lentinus ponderosus the "Ponderous Lentinus" from David Arora's Mushrooms Demystified, but there isn't much scaliness to the cap. Perhaps it is still too young to exhibit this characteristic.
The gill edges do seem to be serrated though. Click on the image to view the gills more closely.
Ridgetops trails were dry and empty of fungal fruitings, but near 8,500 ft elevation, along a stream we came to beaver ponds.
There in the mossy forest floor among drowning lodgepole pine were a troup of LBMs.
I am thinking Cortinariacea just from the gill color, probably Cortinarius with its fibrillose cap, though I am not one of the FFSC's mycological genious members!
This small Ramaria popped up from the duff near lodgepole pines. Though beginning to dry, it was still relatively fresh.
So there is still some fungal fruit to be viewed. Just follow Spring up to higher elevations where Spring hasn't yet surrendered to Summer!
