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NonBobAnon
Stranger

Registered: 04/05/11
Posts: 45
Last seen: 9 years, 11 months
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Hello, thanks and some hunting questions from a noob
#14241914 - 04/05/11 01:28 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Greetings Shroomery forumites. Long time lurker, first time poster here. I have some general questions regarding hunting that haven't been answered in my searches through the forum and other docs on shroomery and elsewhere.
Mushroom Hunting FAQ - CHECK! Which psilocybin mushrooms grow wild in my area? - CHECK! Subbedhunter420's Guide to Hunting and Identifying Panaeolus subbalteatus - CHECK! How to make a spore print - CHECK! An overview on how to find Psilocybin Mushrooms - CHECK! Mushroom Hunting & Identification Forum Rules - CHECK!
And all 77 pages of The Official San Francisco Bay Area fall 2010 spring 2011 season - Double CHECK! 
After all that, I have to express my appreciation for such a generous and informative community vibe that exists here. It's a rare and wonderful thing to find on the web. Thank you all for your contributions. 
I'm located in the foothills of the west slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Northern California (vague, yet specific, yes? ). The environment here is marked by significant variations in climate mostly influenced by elevation and slope. I'm wondering then if there are certain environmental markers that would indicate prime fruiting times for certain mushroom species in a given area. In particular:
How much does elevation affect when a particular species' season starts?
Is soil temperature a reliable indicator of favorable conditions?
Are there other more-or-less reliable signs, such as coincidence with dogwoods blossomming, or other visible flowering or fruiting times?
The species of primary interest for me now are of course spring-season actives, specifically Panaeolus cinctulus (subbalteatus). Ultimately I'll also be interested in fall-season actives, and edibles too.
I've taken a few recent casual hunts to scope out likely spots, but nothing's been found yet. If I do though, I'll post an ID request here. If I find an immature patch, I haven't been able to determine how long it takes for a mushroom to reach maturity and at what stage of maturity it should be picked. I gather it's somewhere between pin and black slime, but how long does that take? And is there much variation in this among active species (specifically between and among Panaeolus and Psilocybes)?
Finally (whew!) when harvesting a patch, once an ID has been made on a sample or three from that area, how carefully do you identify each individual mushroom? Do you assume the whole patch is a single species? I would think this might be tough with look-alikes like P Subb and P Foen, especially since the season and habitat is identical. Is each patch dealt with separately?
Thanks a bunch for just reading -- and I'm grateful for any and all constructive input.
ADVthanksANCE !
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SomeGuy
I feel better now :)


Registered: 04/18/10
Posts: 7,496
Loc:
Last seen: 9 years, 9 months
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Re: Hello, thanks and some hunting questions from a noob [Re: NonBobAnon]
#14242922 - 04/05/11 04:52 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Whew! 1. IDK if anything it may make it later 2.depends on the species, but not really. 3. Yes, thats how I tell. It takes experience, but I look at the flowers to know. After I see the blue-bells(I don't know what they actually are) I know the morels we be out in about a week. When I find my first morel, I start looking for the ovoids. 4. they take about a week +-. If it's hot they are faster, and if it's cold, they are slower. IMO dung lovers are the fastest and mature in 4 days or so, then woodlovers seem to take 5-6 days and mycorhizzal species, 7 days. Thats all just opinion, based on my experience
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HarryL
Squnä'am



Registered: 11/16/10
Posts: 8,070
Loc: Washington State
Last seen: 4 years, 9 months
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Re: Hello, thanks and some hunting questions from a noob [Re: SomeGuy]
#14243257 - 04/05/11 05:52 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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I will give my opinion on the last bit. I check every mushroom while picking, then again when I get home... And once more before eating (cooking or drying). If it does not pass, it's tossed.
One missed bad guy could make you sick or dead.... Better safe than dead, as the old saying goes... Would rather toss a good one by mistake than eat a bad one on purpose!
-------------------- Mushroom hunting: One bad mushroom can ruin your day! Know it or throw it.
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SomeGuy
I feel better now :)


Registered: 04/18/10
Posts: 7,496
Loc:
Last seen: 9 years, 9 months
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Re: Hello, thanks and some hunting questions from a noob [Re: HarryL]
#14243287 - 04/05/11 05:58 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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most edible species that are popular are distinctive. If one thing seems wrong, it's just wrong. Sometimes when you look hard you will find it's a closely related species, thats edible.
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist


Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 48,319
Last seen: 5 hours, 12 minutes
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Re: Hello, thanks and some hunting questions from a noob [Re: NonBobAnon]
#14243495 - 04/05/11 06:31 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
NonBobAnon said: I'm located in the foothills of the west slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Northern California (vague, yet specific, yes? ). The environment here is marked by significant variations in climate mostly influenced by elevation and slope. I'm wondering then if there are certain environmental markers that would indicate prime fruiting times for certain mushroom species in a given area. In particular:
How much does elevation affect when a particular species' season starts?
Is soil temperature a reliable indicator of favorable conditions?
Are there other more-or-less reliable signs, such as coincidence with dogwoods blossomming, or other visible flowering or fruiting times?
Elevation has a direct effect on soil temperature which has a direct effect on which mushrooms will be fruiting.
There are many plants you can observe to tell how far into spring you are in a certain spot, the most common ones are dogwood and black oak, but almost any plant can be used if you understand how it changes as spring starts and progresses into summer.
Quote:
The species of primary interest for me now are of course spring-season actives, specifically Panaeolus cinctulus (subbalteatus). Ultimately I'll also be interested in fall-season actives, and edibles too.
You will not find any actives in the sierra foothills. Only poisonous mushrooms and edibles.
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NonBobAnon
Stranger

Registered: 04/05/11
Posts: 45
Last seen: 9 years, 11 months
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Re: Hello, thanks and some hunting questions from a noob [Re: Alan Rockefeller]
#14243769 - 04/05/11 07:13 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Everyone - thank you for the input!
Quote:
Alan Rockefeller said: You will not find any actives in the sierra foothills. Only poisonous mushrooms and edibles.
Fascinating! Word of mouth here says that actives are common in the livestock pastures nearby. This is at about 1200-1500 ft elevation. My reading thus far hasn't eliminated elevation as a habitat factor. Is there a N latitude limit or an elevation limit or a temperature limit on common actives like P cinctulus? Is it a soil type issue? 
I could always road trip to hunt in Golden Gate Park ...
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allaroundhunter
Stranger


Registered: 12/09/10
Posts: 100
Loc: between this and another ...
Last seen: 10 years, 6 months
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Re: Hello, thanks and some hunting questions from a noob [Re: NonBobAnon]
#14245235 - 04/05/11 10:53 PM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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I also in the foot hills of the sierra and have been learning how to find the edibles of the area lots of land to hunt for sure.
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Stopwhispering
The voodoo peoples




Registered: 05/01/10
Posts: 4,390
Loc: Melbourne
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Re: Hello, thanks and some hunting questions from a noob [Re: allaroundhunter]
#14246021 - 04/06/11 03:27 AM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Good to see a first post from someone prepared to do some research first
All that is really left is to get out there and getting hunting, post up the finds and your knowledge will skyrocket.
I took a very similar approach to you when I first started looking, I ended up with an Inocybe sp, and some cool photos first time out, haha. The reading as much as you can part is awesome but actually heading out and hunting seems to be much more rewarding and seems to help the learning process a lot more imo.
Good luck and happy hunting
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist


Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 48,319
Last seen: 5 hours, 12 minutes
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Re: Hello, thanks and some hunting questions from a noob [Re: NonBobAnon]
#14246032 - 04/06/11 03:31 AM (12 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
NonBobAnon said:
Quote:
Alan Rockefeller said: You will not find any actives in the sierra foothills. Only poisonous mushrooms and edibles.
Fascinating! Word of mouth here says that actives are common in the livestock pastures nearby.
That is possible however that has not been reported to me by anyone whose opinion I trust.
Panaeolus cinctulus can grow nearly anywhere so perhaps in horse manure you will find it. Or in lawns.
Quote:
I could always road trip to hunt in Golden Gate Park ... 
Not this time of year. I did find an amazing Agaricus lilaceps in Golden Gate Park last week.
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