Look!

Mushrooms of Los Altos Hills

Usually found mid fall to mid winter

email look@tikamail.com for questions



I have tried to include common mushroom families found in Los Altos Hills. Mushrooms are part of a group called fungi. As there are over 3,000 mushrooms species in California, the fourteen here are just the tip of the iceberg but they should give the beginner an idea of our local mushroom world. Some interesting videos in the resource section.

Download Mushroom or Butterfly Identification Flyers

Reprints at Los Altos Hills Parks and Recreation Dept.

Look! Flyer layout Fungi 2.2 010323.pdf
Look! Flyer layout Butterflies 2 21 120922.pdf

Mushroom resources for interested people

LOOK! Guide reprints at Los Altos Hills Town Hall lobby or download at download site above or from QR code scan

BOOKS and VIDEOS

  1. Old but small & great for people new to mushrooms. All That The Rain Promises, Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms David Arora, Ten Speed Press

  2. Best book for our area. Wonderful layout, great photos. Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast, Noah Siegel and Christian Schwarz, Ten Speed Press

  3. California Mushrooms, The Comprehensive Identification Guide, D. Desjardin, M,Wood, F. Stevens, Timber Press

  4. Mushrooms Demystified, David Arora - The first big book on California Mushrooms - a bit dated now but mandatory for enthusiasts

  5. Video - How does the Fly Agaric get is white spots on a red cap? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGHPCfMzQow&ab_channel=SCOTLAND%3ATheBigPicture

  6. Video - The Wood Wide Web, Mushrooms communicate in the woods - https://vimeo.com/241527719

  7. Video - An introduction to Fungi (which include mushrooms) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ojzbeaZDqk&ab_channel=FrankGregorio


Credits and Latin Names

Creator: John Metcalfe with Grass Roots Ecology California Naturalist Project 2021.

Mykoweb.com photos are copyrighted by Mykoweb photographers

Jack-o-Lantern, Omphalatus olivascens-Mykoweb.com, Michael Wood

Death Cap, Amanita phalloides-Mykoweb,com, Michael Wood

Chanterelle, Cantharellus californicus-Mykoweb.com, Michael Wood

Turkey Tail, Tremetes vericolor-Mykoweb.com, Michael Wood

Oyster Mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus-iNaturalist cin579 Cindi Fitzgerald

Yellow Stainer, Agaricus xanthodermus -Fungus Fed, Noah Siegel, www,mushroomobserver.org

Slippery Jack, Suillus brevipes-Mykoweb.com, Michael Wood

Lactarius Family example, Lactarius xanthogalactus-Noah Siegel see book. Thiss might be Lactarius argillaceifolius var. megacarpus

Sulphur Shelf, Laetiporus gilbertsonii-Mykoweb.com, Fred Stevens

Candy Cap, Lactarius rubidus-Mykoweb.com, Michael Wood

Witches Butter, Tremella mesenterica, www.mushroom-appreciation.com

Fly Agaric, Amanita muscaria-Mykoweb.com, Michael Wood

Blewit, Clitocybe nuda, Central Texas Mycological Society

Mauve Russula cyanoxanthus-Mykoweb.com, Michael Wood

Conk Family example, Gandoderma brownii Mykoweb.com-Michael Wood

Butter Bolete-Butyriboletus persolidus Mykoweb.com, Michael Wood

..

Anatomy of a Mushroom - from www.yellowelanor.com Mushroom Identification Basics

Under the cap there can be gills or a sponge material both for holding spores or seeds

A young mushroom is often wrapped in a "universal veil" and looks like an egg. As the mushroom grows the veil egg breaks and can leave a patch on the cap, a ring on the stalk (or stipe) and a sack (or volva) at the base of the stalk

Hardwoods: Many mushrooms grow on hardwoods like oak, bay laurel, eucalyptus, madrone


Examples of a veil