Since it's a bit too cold for me to go out to the woods, I've decided to do some prep in starting a new mushroom journal for next year. One of the hardest things about mushroom identification is knowing what to even look for. Some mushroom features pop out at you: a bright bruising or staining reaction, a strong smell, or a strange shape. These are super useful because mushrooms are often defined by these unique features and it's easy to look them up.

Take the example of this Thelephora I found. It looks a lot like Thelephora anthocephala with its smaller size and flattened gray brances. It also found growing in a hardwood forest. However, I gave it a sniff and found that it stunk almost like chlorine mixed with rotten eggs! Thelephora anthocephala is said to have an indistinct scent, whereas Thelephora palmata is said to smell like rotting vegetables and is also known as the "stinking earthfan." It was also a really dry season, so its shape may be atypical.

Just a year ago, I wouldn't have known to take note of the type of trees this mushroom was growing by nor would I have thought to smell it. I wouldn't have though about the fact that weather changes the way the mushrooms may look or develop. There are a lot of details in the shape and color of this mushroom that my eye is not at all trained for. It could easily be any number of Thelephora that I have never heard of or it may even require microscopic analysis.

I'm going to make a few posts about different features of mushrooms and what qualities to look for in them. I am also going to try to link these qualities to particular mushroom genera. It is often very difficult and unnecessary to identify mushrooms to species, but it is fun to practice. These will be good for writing mushroom descriptions in my new journal in the coming season!