Stolby Nature Reserve: Fungi

Stolby Nature Reserve in the summer plays host to hundreds, if not thousands of fungi species. Here are some of the gorgeous specimins we saw during our camping and hiking in mid-July. Identified *tentatively* wherever possible.

Saprophytic white mushrooms with reddish-brown spores growing  on a tree stump.

A pair of tiny Russula sp. caps. Russula is notorious for being a genus vaguely-defined species.

An Amanita sp. I would venture, based on the prominent volva and cap shape.

A scaly/hairy golden mushroom that reminds me of plums and custard (Tricholomopsis rutilans), but without the purple coloring.

The underside of some saprophytic mushrooms, probably a Pleurotus sp. (oyster mushroom).

The top side of the same saprophytic mushroom cluster.

A Lycoperdon sp., though it does not appear to have the same properties of most puffballs (a central hole that emits a puff). Perhaps Lycoperdon saccatum?

A cluster of Coprinellus sp. growing on a log. I’d guess Coprinellus disseminatus.

A close up of the same Coprinellus cluster.

A polypore fungi, maybe a young Fomitopsis sp., with guttation droplets on its surface.

A small cap mushroom with a tiny cricketlike fly on the stem.

An Artomyces sp. found on a log. The North American species is Artomyces pyxidatus, which looks highly similar to this, so this could either introduced sor a highly-similar native.

A gilled mushroom hiding along the trail. You can see the lack of pigment on the right that results from shading by the leaf above it.

The underside of the same mushroom, showing continuous gills down onto the stem.

Crowded space – a plant shoot and fairy cap grow side-by-side.

Another small fairy cap growing among moss.

A bolete or slippery jack (from the porous underside). We found them this way, so it looks like someone else was doing a bit of mushroom ID.

Another Coprinellus sp., maybe Coprinellus micaceus.

Small gilled mushrooms growing from a log.

Another mushroom, this time with gills that end abruptly on the stem (adnate gills).

A cute little mushroom cluster illuminated by the sunset.

I’d lichen more…

Okay, so technically not just fungi, but lichens do consist of at least one fungal species! Here are two bonus shots of the local lichen for you.

A free piece of lichen, perhaps fallen from a nearby tree. I can’t tell if this is multiple different lichens, or one that takes a variety of shapes.

A whole wall of lichen for you!