... from the little known paths and byways through our local woodlands. Generally the trees are the deciduous and evergreen mix typical of the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence ecozone. The exception are the woods adjoining the Stoco Fen, which are almost exclusively White Cedar.
I've tried to include enough background in the photos to put the fungi in the context of their environment ... were they growing in the soil or decaying wood? under a pine or a maple?
On the path to the old dynamite factory, east of Tweed ...
Parrot Waxcap (Hygrocybe psittacina)
Chanterelle Waxcap (Hygrocybe cantharellus)
It's a jungle out there and nothing is safe. Fungus vs. fungus: Bleeding Mycena (Mycena haematopus), parasitised by the mold Spinellus fusiger.
Species of Mycena can be impossible to separate in the field, however, Bleeding Mycena is easily identified.
Rhizomarasmius pyrrhocephalus: the narrow stems of these small mushrooms seemed to be little thicker than horsehairs, but they were incredibly tough!
Quinte Conservation Trail, southeast of Actinolite ...
Nested Waxcap (Hygrocybe nitida)
In the forest near the Stoco Fen ...
Conic Waxcap (Hygrocybe conica)
White Elfin Saddle (Helvella crispa), this is a species of sac fungus, related to the Common Morel.
Along the Eastern Ontario Trail, west of Tweed ...
Indigo Lactarius or Blue Milk Mushroom (Lactarius indigo)
Smoky Spindles (Clavaria fumosa), a species of coral fungus.
White Pine Bolete (Suillus americanus) ... the tangled web of white stuff that looks like mold at the bottom of the stem is the mycelium. This is the true body of the fungus, normally hidden underground, within decaying wood or whatever other substrate the given species of fungus prefers.
On a trail near Rapids Road ...
Splashes of color on the forest floor, foreshadowing the colors of autumn lurking just around the corner. I originally misidentified these mushrooms as Woolly Chanterelle (Gomphus floccosus) – but they are not. These are either Lactarius sp. or Russula sp. being attacked by a sac fungus called a Lobster Mushroom (Hypomyces lactifluorum). The parasitic fungus forms a hard orange or red surface on the host species, causing it to become malformed and the gills to develop poorly.
Pinwheel Mushrooms (Marasmius rotula), their caps were only a few millimeters wide. Some of these tiny fungi were fruiting on twigs.
Suillus umbonatus, the caps of these boletes feel sticky/slimy.
