Monthly Archives: November 2018

A Winter Mushroom

Posted on by
Reply
Flammulina velutipes

Winter Mushroom growing from dead tree trunk

Winter Mushroom (Flammulina velutipes) is aptly named. I was shown a nice colony of them by my friends John, and Mushroom Mary. When I photographed them it was below freezing. They were growing out of the trunk of a dead, standing, Ash (Fraxicus sp.). The tops of the orange-brown caps were sticky and the stems were velvety. The gills were barely attached and on some specimens appeared to be free. There were no rings on the stems. The spore print was white.

Flammulina velutipes

Clusters of Winter Mushrooms showing sticky tops

Flammulina velutipes

Winter Mushroom spore print and gills

The scientific name Flammulina comes from flammeus which means small flame and refers to the orange-brown caps. Velutipes combines velutinus which means covered with fine hairs (think velvet) and pes meaning “foot” both refer to velvety stems. This species is also called velvet foot.

Deadly Galerina (Galerina autumnalis) is a similar mushroom but it has a brown spore print and most specimens have an annulus (stem ring). According to Tom Volk’s website the two species often occur together. According to Volk: “You must check every mushroom you pick for brown spore color and annulus. If either characteristic is present do not eat it.” If you are eating anything from the wild do not relay on the Internet for your identifications. Find someone who is an expert and also eats from the wild. Get a good guidebook and learn to use it. Learn the edible species and also the poisonous ones. I’m terrified at the number of people who forage from the wild without any real knowledge. Galerina poisoning is painful and can be deadly. If you are not absolutely certain what a plant is don’t eat it.

 

References

Kuo, M. (2013, February). Flammulina velutipes. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/flammulina_velutipes.html

Volk, T. (1997, March). Tom Volk’s Fungus of the Month for March 1997. Retrieved from the Virtual Foliage Homepage: http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/march97.html (Flammulina velutipes)

Volk, T. (2003, May). Tom Volk’s Fungus of the Month for May 2003. Retrieved from the Virtual Foliage Homepage: https://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/may2003.html (Galerina autumnalis)

Copyright 2018 by Donald Drife

Webpage Michigan Nature Guy
Follow MichiganNatureGuy on Facebook

Why do some Trees Lose their Leaves for the Winter?

Posted on by
Reply
Acer saccharum

Sugar Maple leaves

In Michigan our broadleaved trees shed their leaves every autumn and most of our conifers hold their leaves (needles) for multiple years. All of our broadleaved trees are true flowering plants also known as angiosperms. Our conifers are non-flowering plants called gymnosperms. They have pollen cones and seed cones that technically are not flowers.

Larix laricina

Tamarack trees before needle drop

Tamarack is our only native conifer that drops its needles for the winter. Our other conifers do not hold their needles forever but shed some each year, normally in autumn. White and Jack Pines hold needles for two years, Red Pines four to five years, White and Black Spruces, and Balsam Fir seven to ten years. Evergreens photosynthesize year round. Their needles have a waxy coating called the cuticle which slows down water loss. Evergreens are also less tasty to predators than broadleaved trees. Evergreens tend to have an upright growth making them less likely to get damaged by accumulating snow.

Pinus strobus

White Pine showing third year needles about to fall

Deciduous trees shed their leaves at the end of the growing season. This prevents water loss through the large surface area of the leaves. Deciduous trees catch little snow in the winter. In southern Michigan we had an early snow before the leaves dropped and many limbs were broken from the weight of the snow. Leaves on deciduous trees are often damaged during the growing season by insects, fungi, animals, or wind. This annual replacement refurbishes the leaves. Some writers suggest that the bare branches at flowering time allow for better pollination especially for wind-pollinated species.

When deciduous trees start losing their leaves they reabsorb some of the nutrients from their leaves. Chlorophyll, the green color in the leaves, is one of the first chemicals to be broken down and absorbed. This is why tree leaves turn colors in the fall. In Michigan each group of trees normally has a distinct color. Ashes tend to be red-purple, Oaks yellow-brown, Aspens yellow, Sugar Maples orange-red, Silver Maples yellow, Red Maples red, Sassafras orange, and Hickories yellow. Color varies from season to season and exceptions to these general rules are common. However, with a little practice it is possible to locate particular tree species by their color.

Thanks to my friend Judith who suggested this blog post.

References

Conners, Deanna. (November 2017)  Earthsky. https://earthsky.org/earth/why-do-trees-shed-their-leaves

Strieby, Sandra. (July 2013). Washington Native Plant Society Blog. https://www.wnps.org/blog/conifers-deciduous-trees

Panich, Justin. (No Date). Bioweb. http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/2010/panich_just/Site/Adaptations.html

Barnes, Burton V. and Warren H. Wagner Jr. (2004). Michigan Trees: A Guide to the Trees of the Great Lakes Region, Revised, Updated Edition

Copyright 2018 by Donald Drife

Webpage Michigan Nature Guy
Follow MichiganNatureGuy on Facebook