Utah isn't known well for it's mushrooms but there are many interesting species around if you know where to look!
These were all found in Big Cottonwood Canyon by Silver Lake near Salt Lake City:
Woody Conk:
Baby Lactarius:
Black Footed Polypore:
Can you spot the Polypor?
There it is!
Basidiomycete:
What could this be!?
Quite a successful hunt! It turns out the melting snowbanks in Utah create the perfect environment for these little guys. Wherever there is a big old rotting log with plenty of moisture and rich soil there is likely to be at least one species of mushroom around. If they are not fruiting, you should be able to see the mycelium lying dormant in the log. The best ones like to hide in plane sight! It's interesting to take notice of the differences in how they all breath. Gilled mushrooms are familiar, but have you ever seen a polypor? If you look closely you can see pores instead of gills and they are composed of thousands of tiny compacted breathing tubes. Mushrooms have many strange qualities. The basidiomycetes smelled like men's cologne!
Baby Lactarius:
Black Footed Polypore:
Can you spot the Polypor?
There it is!
Basidiomycete:
What could this be!?