Above Left: Taye Bright leading participants on the mushroom hike at Armstrong Redwoods on January 27, 2023. Right, Gliophorus psittacinus, commonly known as the parrot toadstool or parrot waxcap, with and without UV lighting.
It's always a delight to seek mushrooms in the dark, moist ecologies of Coastal Redwoods. Although these massive trees don't form ectomycorrhizal associations, you can find so many beautiful, bright, colorful mushrooms (especially the waxy caps) decomposing the thick forest duff or growing in association with other understory tree species. The walk was so enriching, and it always warms my heart to see people gaining deeper levels of curiosity and appreciation for our fungal kin.
Whenever you visit Armstrong, as tempting as it is to gaze upwards endlessly at the towering tree elders, make sure to cast your eyes to the ground every now and then for you never know what fungal delights you might find!
Educator, Taye Bright, is seen center wearing a tan cap with Mushroom Hike participants in Armstrong Redwoods on January 27, 2023.
Left to right: Hard to spot in the photo, but a rather large Calorhiza umbonata aka "redwood rooter" poked through the duff of a redwood tree; rare Hygrocybe flavifolia on the trail*; identifying and photographing turkey tail on a fallen log.
*Note on Hygrocybe flavifolia: A rare wax cap species, fruiting irregularly. It is exemplary for the specific Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forest mycoflora that consists of many Hygrocybe and Entoloma subg. Leptonia species. Here’s a great resource:https://fundis.org/images/PDF/Hygrocybe-flavifolia_trifold-web.pdf
Above, Taye showing her photo from an exciting find of Auriscalpium vulgare, commonly known as the "ear-pick fungus". A. vulgare isn’t only found on fir cones, but conifer cones in general. They are just often seen on Doug fir cones in this area. Macro photo above, right, by Taye (Taylor) Bright.
Above left: Looking at fungi under the redwoods; above right: Cotylidia diaphana growing in masses along the forest floor.
Four above, clockwise: Redwood rooter; Dacrymyces capitatus (check out Taye's pinky finger to compare size!); Ramariopsis kunzei; Trametes versicolor (Turkey Tail). All photographs by Taye.
Above: Students learning about (and photograph) the rare Hygrocybe flavifolia. Above: a macro close-up of Hygrocybe flavifolia taken by Taye.Below, participants take a closer look at the fungi apothecia*.
*Apothecium (plural apothecia): One type of fruiting structure produced by the fungal component of the lichen. An apothecium is cup- or disc-shaped (compare with perithecium) and contains the spores, which allow for sexual reproduction.
Above left: apothecia growing from lichen; right: Possibly Helvella maculata.
Top six above: The group touring the forest, asking questions; bottom left: Helvella lacunosa Afzel, aka Elfin Saddle; bottom right: casting UV light on the parrot wax cap for amazing photos!
(Clockwise from top) Browsing through suggested mushroom and fungi book, "Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast." by Joe Ammirati and Steve Trudell; photo bottom left, waxy cap; photo bottom right: Turkeytail.
Every donation matters. Support our volunteer and education programs, preservation of ancient forests, and restoration of the natural and cultural resources that help make park visits cherished memories.
