280 days of Urbpandemonium #113

I already posted this little group of mushrooms, deeming them to belong to an "unknown Amanita sp." but after some research--most importantly, looking at my own photos from the same area in previous years--I'm prepared to go out on a limb. These appear to the Amanita species complex called "the blusher." At the moment our Northeast species goes by the same scientific name as the European one: A. rubescens* but as mycology progresses, we are likely to have our own name for our own mushroom.

This mushroom has all the classic field markings of the Amanita group: a warty cap, a partial veil that becomes a skirt-like ring, white spores, gills that don't touch the stem, and a swelling at the sub-soil level of the stem. Additionally, the blusher tends toward reddish hues, becoming more so when cut or bruised. Field guides say that the European variety is edible, once the toxins are ruined by cooking. This group contains many poisonous mushrooms, including the mushrooms that have killed more people than any other, which contain poisons that are not deactivated by cooking. Prudent sources advise: just don't.



* Mushroom, becoming red.

The list

280 days of Urbpandemonium list

1. Red-tailed hawk Buteo jamaicensis


2. Cellar spider Pholcus sp.


3. Canada goose Branta canadensis


4. House sparrow Passer domesticus


5. Eastern chipmunk Tamias striatus


6. Blueberry stem gall wasp Hemadas nubilipennis


7. Porpidia albocaerulescens (a lichenized fungus)


8. Nursery web spider Pisaurina mina


9. Ceramic crust Xylobus frustulatus


10. Beech balls Hypoxylon fragiforme


11. False turkey tail Stereum ostrea


12. Blacklegged tick Ixodes scapularis


13. Exidia recisa (a fungus)


14. Hacklemesh spider Amaurobiidae


15. Lemon drops Bisporella citrina


16. Garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis


17. Leopard slug Limax maxima


18. Soil centipede Geophilomorpha


19. Millipede Diplopoda


20. American cockroach Periplaneta americana


21. Compost mushroom Coprinopsis sp.


22. Pavement ant Tetramorium sp.


23. Canadian nightcrawler Lumbricus terrestris


24. Tree stump slime Cryptococcus macerans (a yeast)


25. Periwinkle Littorina littoria


26. Asian shore crab Hemigraspus sanguineus


27. Hermit crab Pagurus longicarpus


28. Slipper snail Crepidula fornicata


29. Dekay’s brown snake Storeria dekayi


30. Ragworm Nereidae


31. Asian multicolored beetle Harmonia axyridis


32. Grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio


33. Yellow sac spider Cheiracanthium milddi


34. Mayfly Ephemeroptera


35. Wild turkey Meleagris gallopavo


36. Eastern carpenter bee Xylocopa virginica


37. Northern wolf spider Trochosa sp.


38. Tan jumping spider Platycryptus undatus


39. Pillbug Armadillidium vulgare


40. European paper wasp Polistes dominula


41. Yellow jacket Vespula sp. or Dolichovespula sp.


42. Sea squirt Axcidiacea


43. Zebra jumping spider Salticus scenicus


44. Dog vomit slime mold Fuligo septica


45. Winecap Stropharia rugosso-annulata


46. False widow Steatoda sp.


47. Mushroom hover fly Cheilosia sp.


48. Harvestman Opiliones


49. Winter Moth Operophtera brumata


50. American dog tick Dermacentor variabilis


51. Garden centipede Lithobius forficatus


52. Pennsylvania wood roach Parcoblatta pennsylvanica


53. Ground ivy gall wasp Liposthenes glechomae


54. Chenopodium leafhopper Norvellina chenopodii


55. Cupboard spider Steatodum triangulosa


56. Dead man’s fingers Xylaria polymorpha


57. Common snapping turtle Chelydra serpentina


58. Bagworm Psyche casta


59. Cedar-apple rust Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianaea


60. Aster leaf-mining fly Ophiomyia quinta


61. Dryad’s saddle Polyporus squamosus


62. Miner bee Andrena sp.


63. Soldier beetle Cantharidae


64. Long-legged fly Condostylus sp.


65. Baltimore oriole Icterus galbula


66. Australian cockroach Periplaneta australasi


67. Eastern cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus


68. Fourteen-spotted ladybeetle Propylea quatuordecimpunctata


69. Varied carpet beetle Anthrenus verbasci


70. Mason wasp Eumeninae


71. Sap bucket beetle Ellychnia corrusca


72. Brown huntsman spider Heteropoda venatoria


73. Goldenrod treehopper Entylia carinata


74. Predatory stink bug Asopinae


75. House centipede Scutigera coleoptrata


76. Reishi Ganoderma lucidum


77. Larder beetle Dermestes lardarius


78. Drain fly Clogmia albipunctata


79. American robin Turdus migratorius


80. Plume moth Geina sp.


81. Cherry leaf gall mite Eriophyes sp.


82. Bald faced hornet Dolichovespula maculata


83. Chocolate tube slime mold Stemonitis sp.


84. Perplexing bumblebee Bombus perplexus


85. Picture-winged fly Delphinia picta


86. Giant puffball Calvatia gigantea


87. Coral mushroom Artomyces pyxidatus


88. Red-backed salamander Plethodon cinereus


89. Yellow patches Amanita flavoconia


90. Pigskin earthball Scleroderma citrina


91. Wolf’s milk slime mold Lycogala epidendrum


92. Red Russula Russula sp.


93. Crackle top Russula parvovirescens


94. Spotted Mediterranean cockroach Ectobius pallidus


95. Bottle fly Lucilia sp.


96. Candy-stripe leafhopper Graphocephala coccinea


97. Orange milky cap Lactifluus hygrophoroides


98. Golden bolete mold Hypomyces chrysospermia


99. Split gill Scizophyllum commune


100. Arcyria cinerea (a slime mold)


101. Golden digger wasp Sphex ichneumonius


102. Big Berk


103. Meadowhawk Sympetrum sp.


104. Flower fly Toxomerus marginatus


105. Common whitetail Libellula lydia


106. Grasshopper Melanoplus sp


107. Sawfly Symphata


108. Eastern black carpenter ant Camponotus pennsylvanicus


109. Grapevine beetle Pelidnota punctata


110. Common true katydid Pterophylla camellifolia


111. Yellow flowerpot mushroom Leucocoprinus birnmbaumii


112. Red admiral Vanessa atalanta


113. The blusher Amanita rubescens

Zookeeper meetup

In Southeastern New England, there are at least six zoos: Frankin Park, Stone, Roger Williams Park, Capron Park, Buttonwood, and the New England Aquarium. There are also small zoos within the Boston Science Museum, and at Drumlin Farm and Trailside Museum. The Zookeeper association at my work has been trying to get keepers from all these zoos to meet with one another and have social events where we can exchange ideas and enjoy the company of people who have similar experiences. Last weekend we managed to get people from 4 of these institutions together for a cookout.


Two of the keepers pictured work for a seasonal camel ride concession that works out of both Franklin Park and Roger Williams Park Zoos.


With so many keepers in one place we couldn't resist doing our version of the Chris Pratt Jurassic World raptor keeper scene.