What is it Wednesday: October 20, 2021

 

Can you identify what's in this photo?

 

 

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

 

 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

 

 

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

October 20, 2021. 

 

 

 

And the answer is....

This mushroom is Coprinus comatus, commonly known as shaggy mane. 

It is sometimes also called lawyer’s wig or shaggy ink cap. 

In addition to its distinctive shape and texture, shaggy mane is notable for its life cycle. A few days after emerging, as it begins to decompose it starts to drip a black liquid, and eventually the whole mushroom dissolves into this inky black goo. This process can be called "deliquescence" - meaning to liquify - or "autodigestion" - because an enzyme within the mushroom is what causes it to begin to break down. 

shaggy mane beginning to "autodigest"

Shaggy mane is edible when fresh, but once picked it decomposes within hours, and is no longer useable.

Shaggy mane and another mushroom known as inky cap are often confused or conflated. They are related, have a similar shape, and both dissolve into inky black goo. The main difference is that inky cap does not have the shaggy texture that shaggy mane has. (Inky cap is also more of a light beige color while shaggy mane is white, and inky caps often open into a wider “umbrella” as they mature.) 

Despite this clear difference, many of the photos in an image search for inky cap are actually pictures of shaggy mane – a good reminder to double check any information you find online. 

Inky cap, like shaggy mane, is edible when fresh but there is a main difference. Inky cap is sometimes known as tipplers bane, as drinking alcohol while or after eating inky cap causes vomiting and heart palpitations. Remember to only eat mushrooms if you are experienced in identifying them or are with someone who is; and the safest way to avoid eating a poisonous mushroom is to not eat wild mushrooms!

Fall is a great time to spot interesting mushrooms – keep your eyes open wherever you are outdoors and see what you can find!