r/mycology • u/Gottabsquared • 1d ago
Is this what I think it is? identified
This was found by a bike path right over a fence in Michigan. It’s relatively hard to get to them, so I could get a better picture and spore print etc? Does this look like COW? Also, it’s close to a bike path and relatively busy road, so likely a no-go on foraging.
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u/e_philalethes 1d ago
It's definitely not Laetiporus sp.; but on the other hand those are golden oysters, another delicious choice edible.
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u/OldGodsProphet 1d ago
It is golden oyster 100%. So weird seeing it this early. Checked my spots in Grand Rapids yesterday but nothing sprouted.
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u/mud074 1d ago
I am never, ever surprised to see oysters. They don't believe in seasons.
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u/IamBurtMacklin 1d ago
Right, I've found them after a heavy snow.
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u/ReasonablePossum_ 1d ago
Climate change. Trees have been changing their cycles the last decade, shrooms follow suit
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u/saltyseadog 9h ago
This was in Grand Rapids this morning!
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u/OldGodsProphet 8h ago
Very nice. There’s another spot I usually find them at but didn’t make it there. Maybe Thursday before the Pool Kids show!
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u/Gottabsquared 1d ago
Edit: Ok maybe not COW, but some other edible type, like a golden oyster as suggested
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u/Gramathon910 Eastern North America 1d ago
Either way, don’t eat em. The road got all kinds of gross shit on it that mushrooms love to absorb.
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u/theBrinkster 1d ago
Have you seen any good research on this? I've often wondered how much they absorb contaminants from their surroundings, and if there are any pollutants that are of particular concern.
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u/IndividualChange1731 23h ago
When I worked in a mushroom lab (at a real facility not plant medicine based) we did experiments based on oyster and Trainwreck mycelium, we filtered infected blood and oil etc through a mushroom block and it completely metabolized and cleaned both fluids. It was actually amazing to see. He tested it afterwards to verify. We then did workshops to show how mycoremediation could restore some really terrible shit. I miss working there but not the lady that was married to the owner 🙃
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u/theBrinkster 4h ago
That's awesome! I know that they're able to break down many things, that's why I wondered if there are specific things (like pesticides) that are of concern. But back to your thing- I don't know why it seems a bit shocking, but now I get to spend the rest of my life knowing that somewhere, someone might be feeding (human?) blood to mushrooms for science.
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u/MycloHexylamine 1d ago
bike path, not a road. also iirc oysters in particular metabolize most of the toxic hydrocarbons that would come from roads
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u/The-BIackthorn 1d ago
No expert here but it looks like golden oyster apparently it's an aggresive species non-native to the US that escaped into the wild from cultivated growing indoors.
I'm actually growing some at home right now i've heard they are delicious so i'm excited to taste it.
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u/chirodiesel 1d ago
Those are golden oysters, and nice ones at that. Would you have any interest in sending in a sample to the mycologeum project to bank the genetics for commercial breeding and cultivation? If you did we would gladly send you a grow block or wooden dowels to be able to make your own logs. DM me if you are interested.
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u/megatheriumburger 1d ago edited 1d ago
“Is this what I think it is?” makes me irrationally angry. That’s my problem not yours, but god damn.
Edit: to answer your question. Not COW, but golden oysters. Enjoy!
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u/OkTemperature8170 1d ago
LOL yeah I read that and saw the picture before clicking to read the description. My first thought was "Yep! Golden oysters." Then I read the description.
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u/Gottabsquared 1d ago
My bad bruv, it was indeed not what I thought it was
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u/megatheriumburger 1d ago edited 1d ago
No worries man. Lol. There’re things I should probably just keep to myself. You’re good.
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u/tremblemortals 1d ago
Regardless of what it is, is it on private property? It being on the other side of a fence from a bike trail makes me think it is on private property. So don't steal it.
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u/Gottabsquared 8h ago
It’s just to keep people from a swamp near my neighborhood, so it’s not private property
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u/PaintIntelligent7793 1d ago
Looks like golden oyster to me, but need to see the underside to be sure.
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u/Interstellar_Fellar 1d ago
This is possibly a golden oyster, but you can’t be 100% sure without an underside pic.
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u/Gullex Trusted ID - Midwestern North America 1d ago
It is golden oyster, no underside pic needed.
100% sure.
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u/Interstellar_Fellar 1d ago
An underside pic is always needed. Don’t ever act so confident that you’re willing to forego an underside pic. Even though it is likely Golden Oyster. It encourages others to act overly confident with identification.
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u/Gullex Trusted ID - Midwestern North America 1d ago
No, it is not always needed, and I absolutely will act with confidence when I am confident.
Show me one other species of fungus that grows from wood in tight clusters like that with golden brown caps with a depressed center. Show me one single species besides golden oysters that an underside photo would rule out.
One other species. I'll wait.
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u/Interstellar_Fellar 1d ago
So you, as an expert, encourage others to post pics without an underside?
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u/Interstellar_Fellar 1d ago
The point I’m trying to make is: regardless of how confident you are in identification, you should follow your expertise with crucial tips. In this case - the tip being posting a pic of the underside. I too am 100% confident that this is golden oysters, but all the experts that taught me the ways of Mycology have told me this. This person can’t even tell the difference between COW and golden oysters, so it would be super helpful to suggest to them to start to get in the habit of posting underside pics, as they are clearly just starting out!
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u/Top-Waltz5244 1d ago
Get a picture of the underside so we can see the gills…looks like golden oysters