As I posted a few weeks back, I have been seeing a large number of Amanita submembranacea here in my fungus hunting country of upper Weardale. Although they have no common English name, they are definitely of the same type as the various grisette amanitas, yet I had never seen any of the grisettes in my foraging. This finally changed as, just as a. submembranacea seemed to be going to ground, and despite a recent 10 days of very dry weather, a. fulva, the tawny grisette, has suddenly made an appearance in numbers.
Even while the a. fulva were deciding to emerge, the a. submembranacea were suffering from drought, as evidenced by these 3 photos, all taken in the same location and on the same day. The mature specimen had opened fully before the drought took effect, and the other two, which had emerged a few days later, apparently did not have enough moisture to grow to maturity.
And here's a comparison of a. fulva and a. submembranacea as newly emerged specimens, showing the color difference, which is the only obvious distinction (to me at least) between the two species.
- Jim