In this video, I show how to identify the so-called false death cap mushroom, Amanita lavendula species group. I share key features and discuss how to distinguish these species of mushrooms from their deadly relatives - Amanita phalloides and various destroying angels. I also touch on edible and good Caesar mushrooms (Amanita section Caesareae).
I then show off a bunch of mushrooms I collected in the past few days:
1) Blewits, clitocybe nuda. This popular but occasionally maligned edible mushroom is purple, which makes it good enough for me.
2) Hedgehogs, Hydnum genus. Hedgehogs are my personal favorite, and some of our ~17 eastern US Hydnum species fruit abundantly in the cold months, if you know where to look.
3) Weeping oak bracket, Pseudoinontus dryadeus. A common sight in Raleigh, this hard, yellowy-tan bracket fungus hugs the bases of oak trees and is often coated in amber, yellow, and brown droplets of fluid called guttation.
4) Pink mottled woodwax, Hygrophorus russula. This streaky, maroon and pink mushroom flourishes in cold weather. I show it side-by-side with red some Russulas, which bear some resemblance to the pink mottled woodwax mushrooms because of their shape and vibrant colors.
5) The Not-sutake mushroom, Tricholoma "caligatum". This mushroom looks a lot like the treasured matsutake mushroom. I spend a little time admiring its pleasing creamy gills and ragged, chocolatey-brown partial veil.
