Mushroom Finds - September 2026

September 2026 - Two bracket fungi by the workshop

Erin photographed two clusters on opposite sides of the driveway near the workshop. Photo-confirmed sightings on the property - no mushroom should be eaten based only on a photo. IDs are guesses from photos alone; confirm with a field guide / spore print / local expert before ever considering edibility.

Reishi (Ganoderma sp.) - on rough-barked tree trunk by workshop

Reishi cluster by the workshop

ID: Reishi / woody bracket (~Ganoderma lucidum / resinaceum complex; possibly tsugae if on hemlock)
Look: glossy/lacquered caps, zoned, deep red-brown center fading to cream/white growing margin; overlapping shelves
Texture: hard, corky, woody - NOT fleshy
NOT chicken of the woods (that's sulfur-yellow/orange, soft, fleshy)
Edible? No culinary use (woody). Medicinal (tea/tincture). Not a dinner mushroom.
Note: confirmed genus by glossy woody top; exact species needs underside + host tree + spore print for anything you'd consume.

Velvet-top / dye polypore (Phaeolus schweinitzii) - base of conifer, other side of driveway

Velvet-top / dye polypore at pine base

ID: Likely Phaeolus schweinitzii (velvet-top / dyer's polypore)
Look: large dark-brown shelf bracket, matte/dry/velvety, irregular lobed surface, growing at root/butt of a pine (surrounded by pine needles, pine cone)
Texture: tough, fibrous; fresh spec softer, gets brittle
Causes: brown cubical butt rot in conifers
Edible? No / inedible.
Note: can be used to dye wool. Pore surface yellow-brown, bruises darker.

Log conventions

Add date, location on property, top-photo ID, and texture/edibility.
Sugary/savory mis-ID watch: chicken of the woods = bright yellow/orange + fleshy; the two above are woody brackets, neither is it.