Okay, another clue in identifying fungi is taking a spore print to see what color the print is.
Here are some ways to make spore prints:
Mushrooms with gills: The spores lie on the gill surface. Cut off the stem and place the cap, with the gills facing down, on a piece of aluminum foil, a white piece of paper, an index card or a glass microscope slide. Put a drop of water on the top of the cap to help release the spores. Cover the cap with a paper cup or glass and leave for 2-24 hours, depending on the humidity and the freshness of the mushroom. The spores will fall on the paper, foil or glass, making a spore print pattern.
First decent haul of the season! My usual paths have been yielding a big fat zero. I took another path today and found a couple of nice clumps of Boletus Frostii (the bright red ones) that I used to NOT pick until I learned not to fear them. The others are bi-color boletes.
Lee
Frostii in the wild (slug in the bottom of the photo)
