Psilocybe cubensis

Kingdom: Fungi

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Agaricales

Family: Strophariaceae

Genus: Psilocybe

Species: P. cubensis

Geographic Range: The southern United States, Central America, and most of South America; India; Eastern Australia

Habitat: Mostly found in temperate regions, tend to grow in landscaped areas mulched with woodchips, and are actually rather rare in natural settings removed from human habitation. They can also be found in habitats such as mossy, grassy, or forest humus soils.

Physical Description: Small, non-descript, brownish-yellow mushrooms that turn blue when they are bruised.

Reproduction: Mainly sexual reproduction through spores that are carried on the wind or by animals.

Cool Fact: It is possible that these mushrooms could be used in psychedelic therapy; one study found that they could induce a “positive mystical experience” in participants. However, due to its reputation as an illegal substance, its status as a medicine has not yet reached mainstream acceptance.

LBJ

Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Class: Basidiomycetes

The mushroom above is a very generic mushroom found all over Georgia and Florida. It is very small and has a very short lifespan. The cap is 1/2 - 1 inch in height and the 1-2 inches in diameter. The cap is brown with clear linear striations around the margin. The gills and the stem are white in color in all these mushrooms. They are also very translucent as you can tell from the pictures above.
This mushroom is asexual and produces spores. Its has a very short lifespan or only 3 to 4 weeks. It feeds on decaying and dead undergrowth of fallen leaves. They are readily found in the fall and spring. These were found in March in Keystone Heights florida in a slightly dense area with trees.

Polyporales: Polypores

Also known as shelf mushrooms or bracket fungi, polypores are among the most common and most identifiable mushrooms. These tough, leathery mushrooms contain small tiny holes or pores on the underside of the cap. The word polypore actually means many pores. Polypores range in sizes. Some can be up to five pounds while others are barely the size of a fingernail. They can be found helping decompose almost any form of decaying wood, from trees to logs, and stumps. Unlike most mushrooms, a polypore does not have a continuous spore baring tissue along the underside of the cap. Instead spores of a polypore are held in a small tube-like structures similar to that of the boletes.

Fruit Fly/ Puffball Info- Dakota Collins

Fruit Fly
Anastrepha edentata
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Dipteran
Family: Tephritidae
Size of adult body: ~2mm

-Found in only Florida and Puerto Rico
-‘Herbivore’. Host plant and major food supply are relatively unknown.
-abundant in Southern Florida, yet rare to see as North as Gainesville.
-The entire length life cycle of Anastrepha Edentata has yet to be ascertained.




Bibliography:
Used this page as my only source.
http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/fruit/tropical/a_edentata.htm


Puffball Mushroom
Scleroderma geaster
Phylum: Fungi
Class:Basidiomycetes
Order:Boletales
Family: Scleodermataceae
Fruiting Body: 4-14cm

Non poisonous. These mushrooms are very sparse and there a millions of different types. The family of puffball mushrooms is predominately used for medicines and food.
These mushrooms range all over the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Bibliography
www.Rogersmushrooms.com

Classification

Kingdom: Fungi

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Basidiomycetes

Subclass: Agaricomycetidae

Order: Agaricales

Family: Tricholomataceae

Genus: Collybia

Species: Agaricus tuberosis

Geographic Range

Agaricus tuberosis is found throughout the east coast of North America. It’s primarily in the southern states such as Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. The Mushrooms commonly occurs during the fall and winter months. www.wikipedia.com

Habitat

Agaricus tuberosis can be found in forests ranging from spruce to beech and pine. Usually located on the ground, it can grow on top of pine needles and leaves. It can grow both on its own and in small clusters or groups.

Physical Description

Cap: 2-10 mm, convex with a somewhat inrolled margin when young, becoming broadly convex to flat, with a central depression; dry or moist; more or less smooth; sometimes lined on the margin; whitish.

Gills: Attached to the stem; close or almost distant; whitish or pale pinkish.

Stem: 1-5 cm long; about 1 mm thick; more or less equal; dry; often minutely dusted at the apex and/or base; whitish to pinkish; becoming hollow; attached to sclerotia which are tear-shaped or elliptical, reddish brown, and measure 3-12 x 2-5 mm. www.mushroomexpert.com

Reproduction: general behavior

This mushroom is asexual and produces spores. The spores are 4-6 x 3-3.5 µ, smooth, elliptical, and18-32 µ long. They are cylindrical, with occasional lobes or projections.

Lifespan

One month

Food Habits

This mushroom feeds on dead and decaying mushrooms. This is how they grow and prosper.

Predation

They are virtually untouched because they are so small that most animals would not want them.

Classification

The mushroom I found is classified as a Hypholoma capnoide for its species.

Geographical range These mushrooms are mostly found in North America and Europe.

Habitat These mushrooms are found in tropical areas on dead trees and or grass or conifer stumps.

Development Producing a white, silky, rhizomorphic mycelium, usually exquisitely formed, and growing out in distinct zonations. Mycelium becomes overlain with yellow tones in age but the rusty brown colorations that are typical of Hypholoma sublateritium.

Physical description The cap is 2-6 cm across, flushed tan center, the flesh is yellowish, and the stem stands about 40-100x5-10mm.

Reproduction Since mushrooms are classified under the kingdom of fungi their asexual.

Lifespan Most of these mushrooms only last for a couple of months.

Behavior These mushrooms are social because they grow in groups and are based on decomposing.

Communication This type of mushroom has a very social life seeming that it only grows with others of its type and not solitarily.

Food Habits These mushrooms grow on dead grass and dead wood such as stumps on the ground to feed off of and decompose the trees.

Predation This mushroom is edible for humans but has a mild taste otherwise its eaten by all kinds of animals.

Ecosystem Roles Without this mushroom branches and stumps would stay on they ground forever but they help decompose them.

Economic importance for humans: positive They help keep ground areas clean.

Economic importance for humans: negative Undefined

Conservation status

These mushrooms can be found almost anywhere in America and are very common. There’s about over a million that has been detected around North America and Europe so far.

Dakota Busher

Classification: Clathrus Columnatus

Geographic Range: They are found mainly in the southeast but have been found in places as far north as Pennsylvania.

Habitat: They usually grow in urban settings. They are found mainly in the winter months, on wood chips or mulched areas.

Development: They arise from a partially submerged “egg” that is attached to the ground with long cords. They then grow their arms and secrete their stinkhorn slime. After about two weeks they fall to a pill of slime and eventually dry out.

Physical Description: They have no stem. They consist of two to five hollow “arms” that reach upward and connect at the top. The inside is filled with olive colored slime that smells horrible and attracts flies.

Reproduction: Their stinkhorn slime is what dispenses the spores. Birds eat the slime and then carry it to a new place. The spores germinate on the ground.

Lifespan: After a few weeks they dry out.

Behavior: They are solitary and sessile.

Food Habits: They break down and absorb their food through their hyphea.

Mushroom
location: North America
edibility: Poisonous/Suspect
fungus colour: Yellow
normal size: 5-15cm
cap type: Convex to shield shaped
stem type: Ring on stem, Volva on stem, Bulbous base of stem
spore colour: White, cream or yellowish
habitat: Grows in woods, Grows on the ground
Info retrieved from Roger’s Mushroom Database

Bisporella Citrina

My best guess is that this is Bisporella citrina or another similar species.










Bisporella citrina, or yellow fairy cups, is very common throughout the U.S.. It can be found spring and fall, and during the winter in warm places.
The individual mushrooms are very small, usually no more than a centimeter across, but they live in large, bright yellow colonies and are easily spotted. Look for them on fallen trees.

They are not classified as poisonous, but that's likely because nobody's ever bothered picking and eating the tiny things. I wouldn't advise being the first.

I got information from these sites:
http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/
http://www.mushroomexpert.com/bisporella_citrina.html

Earthstar Geastrum elegans

Classification
Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Lycoperdales
Family: Geastraceae
Genus: Geastrum
Species: elegans

Geographic Range
This specific species of earthstar lives within a range of North America.

Habitat
The earthstar is often found in sandy soil. It grows alone or gregariously under hardwoods or conifers. They are most present during the fall season.

Physical Description
The earthstar is small to medium in size. It has a deeply grooved beak and a fine granular coating covering the spore sack. Young specimens have a coating of mycelium on the outer surface, which picks up a substantial amount of adhering debris that can be later found on the undersides of the mature earthstar’s arms.

Reproduction
Earthstars reproduce asexually and they release spores into the air which make more little earthstars.

Fruiting Body
At first a round to egg-shaped ball 1-2 cm across, partially submerged in the substrate, covered with mycelium that picks up sand and debris; with maturity the outer skin peeling back to form 5-7 buff colored to brownish, hygroscopic arms; spore case more or less round, covered with fine granules that are initially whitish but become brownish, pale tan to brownish, with a deeply grooved conical beak that is often surrounded by a brown area; 2-4 cm across when arms are opened; interior of spore case initially solid and white but soon powdery and reddish brown.

Laccaria laccata

IMG_1515[1]
Originally uploaded by Rebecka!

This species has been spotted all over the world ranging from Japan to Chile but the most common place they are found is the US. There has been many found here in Florida in the Gainesville area.

This genus grows in wooded areas And generly found alone, similar to where and how we found it. It is found at most times of the year.

The caps are about 1 to 4.5cm with a convex top that can have a central depression. As the species gets older the color changes from a orange to a more lack luster brown. The gills are attached to the stem but do not run down it. The stem is about 2 to 6.5cm long with a smooth shape. This species is edible with a radish like taste.
The spores are white and microscopic.

Websites used

http://www.fieldmuseum.org/research_collections/botany/botany_sites/fungi/examined.html

http://www.mushroomexpert.com/laccaria_laccata.html

http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/gallery/DisplayBlock~bid~6222~source~gallerychooserresult.asp