Falls Lake Mushrooms

The forests around Falls Lake are a great place to find wild mushrooms.  The 12,000-acre lake is surrounded by more than 26,000 acres of protected land that supports a diversity of fungi.  Most of the land as Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land is publicly accessible, with the 60-mile Falls Lake Trail providing great hiking access.  Foraging for wild mushrooms for personal use on Game Land is permitted, but only consume mushrooms upon positive identification by a mycology expert.  Late summer after a heavy rain is usually the best time to find mushrooms.

Mushrooms:

These white mushrooms are fairly common - they are in the genus Amanita section Lepidella.  I'm not an expect in mycology and can't identify them down to the species, but suspect that they are A. cokeri or A. ravenelli.

When the mushrooms are young, the cap is more rounded and shaped like a bulb.  As they age, the cap becomes flat and the gills are visible.

Pearl oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) can be found growing on dead and decaying wood.  These mushrooms are edible and considered a delicacy to some.

Indian oysters (Pleurotus pulmonarius) is a similar species that fruits in the summer.

Lion's mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) is another edible species of mushroom.

Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus cincinnatus) is an edible species that tastes like chicken if cooked properly.

Shaggy-stalked bolete (Aureoboletus betula) has a distinctive stalk.

Another fairly common species of mushrooms in the Falls Lake area is the American Caesar's Mushroom (Amanita jacksonii).  These mushrooms have a brilliant red-orange color.

Another species of Amanita mushrooms found around the lake is the Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria).  Their iconic toadstool is easily recognizable.  These mushrooms are mildly hallucinogenic and poisonous.

Ringless honey mushrooms (Armillaria tabescens) are pathogenic to trees and their mushrooms sprout up from wood or underground roots.

A less common species that I've found in the area is the Violet Webcap (Cortinarius violaceus), a brilliant purple mushroom.

These mushrooms have the deepest purple color when they are young; the color fades as the mushroom ages.