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.
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
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
Best book for our area. Wonderful layout, great photos. Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast, Noah Siegel and Christian Schwarz, Ten Speed Press
California Mushrooms, The Comprehensive Identification Guide, D. Desjardin, M,Wood, F. Stevens, Timber Press
Mushrooms Demystified, David Arora - The first big book on California Mushrooms - a bit dated now but mandatory for enthusiasts
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
Video - The Wood Wide Web, Mushrooms communicate in the woods - https://vimeo.com/241527719
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