One of the more interesting mushrooms my friends and I encountered on today's mushroom walk was an Earthstar. According to Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast, California has three varieties. So it is a Gaestrum, but it wasn't big enough to be a Barometer Earthstar. My guess is that it is a Bowl Earthstar (Geastrum sacccatum).
Another unusual looking mushroom we found is the Western Jack O'Lantern. It's an odd color and quite large. There was a group of them. The mushroom book says that beginners sometimes confuse this with chanterelles "resulting in serious poisoning." To me, the color was off-putting. It wouldn't occur to me to eat this.
We came upon this mushroom several times. It is some kind of Russula. The mushroom book provides tips on how each smells and tastes. I never thought about tasting, or even smelling them. Perhaps next time. Russula is acrid tasting and not good eating. The book says it might be a bit toxic due to its acridity.
The turkey tail fungus we saw was beautiful, but its tough texture makes them inedible. Some people grind them up to make medicinal tea.
The Milkcaps (Lactarius ) have a pleasing pattern on their cap. I found several varieties in the mushroom book that appear similar in color. One of them is marked as poisonous. Others are not, but also are not known for their taste. I don't think anyone eats them. I can't tell one from the other, so I'll steer clear of them for dinner.
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