Joe Christian brought in a plateful of shiitakes from his mushroom farm and presented them as if just found in the woods. Joe told me that these were the ones he throws away because they don't meet his stringent quality standards. Walt served as our foray identifier and he and Dick did a very nice table walk. Large probably hallucinogenic mushroom with a cortinate veil similar to Gymnopilus spectabilis but with a mild tasting flesh instead of bitter. Tom Volk from the University of Wisconsin now thinks that the affected Entoloma is attacking the honey mushroom and not the other way around as previously thought.
Science now thinks they are the same mushroom.
No genetic difference. This tiny mycena fruits on walnut or hickory nut shells and is easily overlooked and must be carefully dug out of the substrate. Lepiota rachodes, however, has a striking color change to saffron when the cap is removed from the stem. Known as the split gill because the ends of the gills are longitudinally split or crimped, it has been found on everything from toenails to newborn babies lungs. Later in the evening I gave a beginners' mushroom slide show which featured common fungi in Ohio from spring to fall.