365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Make No Assumptions
Day 195: Make no assumptions. Just because its cap has ridges and pits and it fruits in the spring, it may not be a Morel. In fact, this look-alike Verpa will probably give you gastric distress in a variety of flavours if you eat it, and although some people can tolerate the alkaloids, it's not an experiment I'd care to make. Mushroom poisoning is no fun! Nevertheless, Verpas and Morels are fairly easy to distinguish from one another by careful observation of a few features. The pattern of Verpa's pits and ridges is less regular than that of a true Morel and its cap is only attached at the very top of the stipe (like a lampshade). The true Morel's cap is attached to the stipe at the bottom. The flesh of Verpa tends to be rather brittle as well, and may shatter into small pieces if squeezed. Remember, when messin' with mushrooms, sometimes you don't get a second chance to identify a species correctly.
Labels:
Eatonville,
False Morel,
Verpa bohemica
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