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 DjThugz
Stranger
Registered: 08/29/08
Posts: 4
Last seen: 3 years, 7 months
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 I need help identifying 'Liberty Caps' 
#8848126 - 08/29/08 02:52 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Hi. Im new to this site, so please forgive me if I make a mistake such as posting in the wrong section or breaking a rule of some sort. I quickly skimmed through the rules, and while its better to read them thoroughly, Im in a slight hurry.
Okay. Today, August 29th, I was hanging out at the park like I normally do, and while walking past the playground area, I spied what look to be Liberty Caps. I live in New York near Buffalo. I know that Liberty Caps have been known to grow in New York.
The weather has been rainy on and off, and yesterday it got slightly chilly and was drizzling throughout the day.
I spied the first small batch inside the playground. The playground, like most that I have seen, is covered with wood chips. After picking them with my friends to identify them later, we noticed another (huge?) patch growing just outside of the playground area, where the wood chips and the grass from the baseball field meet. We proceeded to pick those as well.
I dont really know how to explain the soil...but its a public park, so Id imagine that there are all sorts of dirt and other material being dragged in and out from peoples shoes everyday.
Anyways, upon inspecting them ourselves to see if they were even worth trying to identify, we came to the conclusion that they very well may be real Liberty Caps. Heres some info about both of them: (all mushrooms are fresh, not dry. Im not sure if that makes or not, however.)
- The caps of the small mushrooms(very small, looked like they just started growing) are a very pretty amber/amber-brown color. They felt very smooth to the touch, and were either shiny or had shiny spots on parts of the caps.
- The caps of the more mature looking mushrooms are brown or whitish. Very odd about the white caps, I never heard of that. They still felt smooth, but not nearly as smooth as the smaller, shiny caps. The color was a little dull compared to the smaller mushrooms. The caps are fragile, and rip/crack very easily if given small punishment (pulling, squeezing lightly, twisting).
- The stems were surprisingly short on some of them, some only being about an inch or so. Other stems ranged from about pinkie-finger length to slightly longer than a middle finger. (I know that finger sizes vary, but I doubt itll make TOO much of a difference. If Im wrong, please correct me.) The color of the stems were a dirty-white to a light-brown. On a lot (if not all) of the stems, however, there are a silver-ish-blue tint near the end of the stem where it was in the ground or near the top, right before it meets the cap. The stems break easily, too, if not careful. When I tried to test the "blue stem method" I had heard from a friend, they did not bruise blue. However, I have also heard that its easier to do this if the mushrooms are dry, not fresh.
- All of the mushrooms that looked like Liberty Caps were growing together. The ones with white caps were growing right next to the ones with brown caps, and looked exactly the same except for the color of the cap and slightly lighter colored gills.
- The gills were very slim, and were dark purple/dark brown/light black (black, but not extremely dark). Unfortunately, I did not check every mushrooms gill color. I had checked enough to believe that they were quite possibly Liberty Caps. Most of the white capped gills we checked were the same or were a very very similar color to the brown capped gills. A few white capped gills, however, had a noticeable difference. Not much, but were more brownish than the brown capped gills (which were light black/dark brown/purple.
- I had heard somewhere that Liberty Caps leave a purplish stamp if the gills were pressed against something like paper. Out of resources, I had to use my friends white shirt (hell, better than nothing), and did indeed looked purple. However, because they had water in them, the water made the purple look faint. We later tried on a tissue, but due to the water, the same results appeared.
- Most of them didnt have a pointy nipple at the top. Some were even all the way around the top of the cap. Some did, however, looked like they started having a more acute angle/point at about 75%-85% of the way up the cap.
I can add pictures later if needed, but I dont have a very good camera and wanted to hear peoples opinions on if they may be real or if theyre definitely not. I honestly didnt want to waste the effort of trying to get good pictures through a crappy camera if its possible to identify them without pictures.
Another odd thing: I had picked two near-perfect-conditioned mushrooms (the other ones either had already been picked and bagged or stepped on by people walking through) to take home, in case I needed a picture of a mushroom that wasnt damaged by our destructive hands. After picking, I hid them under some wood so they wouldnt be damaged or seen. The wood above them blocked the sun, so the mushrooms were in the shade and had less heat from the sun beating down on them. When we were done, I went back to grab the two mushrooms...but the color of the cap changed. When I hid them, they were brown. But they changed to brown with little patches of white - the same exact color as the white capped ones we identified. Only difference was that the white was spread all over the cap, instead of just being pure white.
I appreciate all help you guys give me. Itll help a lot; I would love for my first Mushroom Trip to be from my own personal hunt, but I would hate for it to be my last!
If pictures or any other information is needed, Ill try to provide what I can. Thanks again!
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 Asht0n
love ♥
Registered: 05/13/08
Posts: 582
Loc: United Kingdom 
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 Re: I need help identifying 'Liberty Caps' [Re: DjThugz]
#8848201 - 08/29/08 03:06 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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The most obvious thing to me which suggests they are not liberty caps is the habitat. Libs usually grow in pastures/grassy areas rather than wood chips.
Clear pictures of the mushrooms will definitely help to obtain a much better ID. Good luck. 
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venomtunga
Stranger
Registered: 08/10/08
Posts: 129
Last seen: 1 year, 8 months
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Re: I need help identifying 'Liberty Caps' [Re: Asht0n]
#8850048 - 08/29/08 09:20 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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If they grew on wood chips it's almost 100% sure that it's not libs.
Edited by venomtunga (08/29/08 09:23 PM)
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DjThugz
Stranger
Registered: 08/29/08
Posts: 4
Last seen: 3 years, 7 months
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Re: I need help identifying 'Liberty Caps' [Re: venomtunga]
#8850307 - 08/29/08 10:06 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Alright, thanks a lot. I figured that they may have been fake because of the wood chips. But excitement got the best of me, and I just had to make sure.
A few more questions, preferred to be based on personal experience:
- The guides for Liberty Caps that I have found on this site are nice, but most of them (of the ones I have found) are mostly just pictures. Based on personal experience, what are some common traits that help you when identifying Liberty Caps?
- Are there any special tricks that you guys use that help boost up the chance of identifying them correctly?
- My friend has a small field where he lets his sheep roam (fenced in though). This field has semi-long grass. Would this be a good candidate for a Liberty Cap home? I know that they won't always grow in fields and such, but would this be a better spot than say, a meadow with no large animals (there may be rabbits, fox, occasional deer, snakes, etc.) and tall grasses? If the weather has anything to do with this, then it's getting a little chilly and it rains quite often (once every 2-3 days).
- How common are the 'nipple' on the top of the caps? Is it a really good indicator or poor indicator?
- Should I be waiting longer before trying to pick them? It's pretty much September right now. If I should be waiting longer, when would be a good time to start hunting?
- As a new hunter/picker, is there any major things I should be looking out for while hunting?
I probably should look up another guide online, but I like to hear personal experience from experienced hunters/pickers. I don't know anyone that goes out and picks their own mushrooms, so you guys are as close as I can get.
Thanks again!
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botha
Semilanceata
Registered: 09/04/07
Posts: 107
Last seen: 5 months, 9 hours
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Re: I need help identifying 'Liberty Caps' [Re: DjThugz]
#8851077 - 08/30/08 02:44 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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I began with a psychonaut teaching me right on the field. He showed which were the lib's and we started picking them. 2 hours later they looked at my shrooms and told me to throw away all exept 2 of them. Now im able to do that kind of identification by myself. ..
I have no experience about suggesting someone to find mushrooms ONLY by relating to the info found over internet, such as pictures n descriptions.
Liberty cap's actually look all different. Depends, how old they are, are they wet or dry and so on. For example, there are 10 shrooms growing in the lump of grass, one of them looks grey-white, because sun has dried it's cap. Others look greenish or brown and might have dark stripes on it, because they are wet. And there might be some others shrooms also.. right in the same patch, so be careful. You have to identyfy all of them.
Actually, im pretty noob at this identyfying shit ... I just hope that by the time im on the field, Lib's are only survivors to live in such a cold and harsh conditions. (september-november)
peace!
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Asht0n
love ♥
Registered: 05/13/08
Posts: 582
Loc: United Kingdom
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Re: I need help identifying 'Liberty Caps' [Re: botha]
#8851365 - 08/30/08 07:19 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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I agree with looking at a lot of photographs in fine detail, noting everything you can about them and building a good mental picture.
Another thing I find helpful is to get to know the 'imposter' mushrooms, those other little brown mushrooms which grow in the same habitat. The common ones I can think of are Panaeolina foenisecii, Panaeolus papilionaceus and Conocybe albipes.
Once you start to recognise the other species present as their own distinct thing, the libs just stand out more. 
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DjThugz
Stranger
Registered: 08/29/08
Posts: 4
Last seen: 3 years, 7 months
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Re: I need help identifying 'Liberty Caps' [Re: Asht0n]
#8851386 - 08/30/08 07:35 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Even after you guys are sure you have identified Liberty Caps from the bad ones you picked, do you get nervous or scared to take them?
I'll also try to find someone (trustworthy) that goes picking. I don't really know anybody...but then again, I never really bothered to ask.
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koraks
Registered: 06/02/03
Posts: 16,172
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Re: I need help identifying 'Liberty Caps' [Re: DjThugz]
#8852582 - 08/30/08 01:32 PM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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I must admit I haven't read your posts up to here; it's a lot of text. No offense, but I'm a 'quick thrills' person, don't take it personal. 
Quote:
DjThugz said:
Even after you guys are sure you have identified Liberty Caps from the bad ones you picked, do you get nervous or scared to take them?
1: I never pic the 'bad' ones, because I know them to be bad Seriously: once you know what to look for, you won't pick the wrong kind very easily. If you're not sure of a particular specimen, don't pick it. There'll be good ones somewhere else, picking mushrooms you're not sure about might increase your chances, but:
2: you're bound to be anxious if you're not 100% sure of what you've picked. Therefore, heed the advice above! Having said that: no, I'm never anxious when eating shrooms I've picked. Of course, there is always room for a hypothetical type of doubt; the awareness that there might be an anomaly. But that is not what I would call 'reasonable' doubt, so to speak.
Quote:
I'll also try to find someone (trustworthy) that goes picking. I don't really know anybody...but then again, I never really bothered to ask.
If you encounter someone trustworthy, that's cool. But don't worry, it can be done with knowledge found on the 'net, a little patience and a good dose of good'ole common sense. Be sure to show us your finds here at the Shroomery and we'll be here to support you in your efforts.
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DjThugz
Stranger
Registered: 08/29/08
Posts: 4
Last seen: 3 years, 7 months
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Re: I need help identifying 'Liberty Caps' [Re: koraks]
#8858804 - 09/01/08 01:10 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
koraks said:
I must admit I haven't read your posts up to here; it's a lot of text. No offense, but I'm a 'quick thrills' person, don't take it personal.
Quote:
DjThugz said:
Even after you guys are sure you have identified Liberty Caps from the bad ones you picked, do you get nervous or scared to take them?
1: I never pic the 'bad' ones, because I know them to be bad Seriously: once you know what to look for, you won't pick the wrong kind very easily. If you're not sure of a particular specimen, don't pick it. There'll be good ones somewhere else, picking mushrooms you're not sure about might increase your chances, but:
2: you're bound to be anxious if you're not 100% sure of what you've picked. Therefore, heed the advice above! Having said that: no, I'm never anxious when eating shrooms I've picked. Of course, there is always room for a hypothetical type of doubt; the awareness that there might be an anomaly. But that is not what I would call 'reasonable' doubt, so to speak.
Quote:
I'll also try to find someone (trustworthy) that goes picking. I don't really know anybody...but then again, I never really bothered to ask.
If you encounter someone trustworthy, that's cool. But don't worry, it can be done with knowledge found on the 'net, a little patience and a good dose of good'ole common sense. Be sure to show us your finds here at the Shroomery and we'll be here to support you in your efforts.
Are you sure that using the net is safe enough? I mean, I'm always going to make sure that I'm in the right areas/what to look for, have you guys help me ID, etc. but I still feel a little nervous.
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Williamsii
Explorer
Registered: 05/27/07
Posts: 267
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Re: I need help identifying 'Liberty Caps' [Re: DjThugz]
#8859590 - 09/01/08 09:02 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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That nervousness is a good thing. Hold on to it and use it as your tool.
The danger with using the net is when somebody does some limited research and goes and finds 'Liberty caps' all too easily. Enthusiasm sees past the false characteristics of the mushroom and with a helping of ignorance this culminates in a false identification. A lot of people are sure they have found liberty caps simply because of the burning desire to find them.
So, do thorough research and look at as many pictures of Liberty caps as possible and familiarise yourself with the identifying features.
Here is a link to a guide on Liberty cap hunting.
Here is a link that describes the separable gelatinous pellicle. This is a useful feature that Liberty caps have and is easily recocgnisable.
Presume you have not found Liberty caps until you have rigorously gone through the identification process. If there is any uncertainty, don't eat them.
Another danger is that other species of mushrooms can grow in and around the same patch among the Liberty caps. When picking for hours staring at hundreds of mushrooms you can lose concentration and pick some unwanted Little Brown Mushrooms (LBM for short) with your Liberty caps. So stay alert and make sure that every single mushroom you pick is correctly identified.
Just remember, you can never be too cautious but it is all too easy to become rash. However, as long as you do plenty of research and be strict with yourself, you will do just fine.
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ryanfrizz
Stranger
Registered: 10/14/11
Posts: 9
Last seen: 4 months, 13 days
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Re: I need help identifying 'Liberty Caps' [Re: DjThugz]
#15227915 - 10/14/11 11:01 PM (7 months, 9 days ago) |
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So all of the spore smudges look the same color for all of the mushrooms in the last group i took a picture of. What are some other things that set liberty caps apart from other lookalikes that could be toxic that grow in the same area (Slightly poor maintained gold course)?
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Cerebreich
Farmer
Registered: 09/22/11
Posts: 242
Loc: Nepal
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Re: I need help identifying 'Liberty Caps' *DELETED* [Re: ryanfrizz]
#15228023 - 10/15/11 12:00 AM (7 months, 9 days ago) |
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Post deleted by CerebreichReason for deletion: .
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browndogg
Stranger
Registered: 10/25/11
Posts: 1
Last seen: 6 months, 29 days
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Re: I need help identifying 'Liberty Caps' [Re: Cerebreich]
#15276369 - 10/25/11 12:33 PM (6 months, 29 days ago) |
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are these liberty caps? found them in victoria on vancouver island
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maynardjameskeenan
A god among men
Registered: 11/11/10
Posts: 4,195
Loc: PNW
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Re: I need help identifying 'Liberty Caps' [Re: browndogg]
#15276431 - 10/25/11 12:50 PM (6 months, 29 days ago) |
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Quote:
browndogg said:
are these liberty caps? found them in victoria on vancouver island
no those are a conocybes species... maybe mycena.
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We are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively
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