is it ok to take mushroom samples?

[whaleomeloette]

i found a knocked over mushroom today so i took it home and cut it in half and pinned it (like you would with an insect)
which got me wondering, it it ok
i suppose it is as people go foraging- as long as you dont go over the score and take loads!
my mother loves mushrooms and i thought a little display of a few mushrooms with their scientific names might be an nice presant?

[Lancashire Lad]

Certainly no problem taking the odd mushroom here and there.

It doesn't harm the main body of the fungus, which will be underground or "within" the substrate.

Taking a fruitbody is like picking an apple from a tree - it doesn't harm the tree.

I doubt whether your mushroom will retain its looks once it starts to dry out though. (They usually rot away, or shrivel into something which looks completely different to when found).

But if you do succeed in preserving it intact, I'll bet there will be quite a few people who would like to know the secret! (Me included! ).

Regards,
Mike.

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by whaleomeloette

i found a knocked over mushroom today so i took it home and cut it in half and pinned it (like you would with an insect)
which got me wondering, it it ok
i suppose it is as people go foraging- as long as you dont go over the score and take loads!
my mother loves mushrooms and i thought a little display of a few mushrooms with their scientific names might be an nice presant?

hi

I endorse Mike's comments, but unless you dry it quickly in a warm (not hot) place it won't look too pretty

have a look out for bracket fungi on fallen logs etc. they often occur in large quantities and taking a small piece or two will not hurt the fungus in the slightest

one of the most attractive (and, happily, a very common fungus indeed) is Trametes versicolor or turkey-tail - http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/turkey-tail - it dries well and has a beautiful velvety cap - but with all fungi don't be surprised if a crop of insects emerges

best

Chris

[Meta menardi]

Spores from some bracket fungi can cause breathing problems. I know of one forestry lecturer who had to get rid of all his examples when told of these problems.

[whaleomeloette]

thanks for the comments!
my plan is to dip/lightly paint the shrooms into a clear resin used for making paper weights
if you can do this:
im sure you can do mushrooms

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by Meta menardi

Spores from some bracket fungi can cause breathing problems. I know of one forestry lecturer who had to get rid of all his examples when told of these problems.

really? I'm not saying you're wrong, but I would think that mouldy bread/vegetables/fruit actively sporulating would be much more of a problem

once dried the fungus will no longer actively eject spores

the people who really have to be careful are those who work with lots of cultures - genera such as Aspergillus can be very dangerous

dried T. versicolor should be fine and - frankly - covering it up in resin would be a pity (you'd lose the lovely texture)

C

[FungiJohn]

Originally Posted by whaleomeloette

thanks for the comments!
my plan is to dip/lightly paint the shrooms into a clear resin used for making paper weights
if you can do this:
im sure you can do mushrooms

Hi whaleomeloette

Unfortunately I had to remove your external linked image. If you upload it to WAB I’ll gladly attach it to the post.

Depending on the resin you use it would be quite possible to obtain good results with certain fungi. The main problem would be removing air bubbles without causing damage to the fungus during the process. A cold cure resin would probably help too.

It would certainly be worth a try and interesting to see the results, especially with fungi like colourful waxcaps.

Good luck with it!

John

PS I should point out that the very high water content of the fungus may have a diverse effect on this method

[whaleomeloette]

thanks for the tips! ill have a go and see what happens

yeah i cant do that, the photo isnt mine and as WAB says:
''by uploaded images you agree to grant us royaly free non exclusive licence to use them for an unlimited period''

it would be bad for the image owner, its also cheeky of WAB :P please dont ban me

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by whaleomeloette

. . . .the photo isnt mine and as WAB says:
''by uploaded images you agree to grant us royaly free non exclusive licence to use them for an unlimited period''

it would be bad for the image owner, its also cheeky of WAB :P please dont ban me

royalty-free non-exclusive is hardly cheeky . . . . is it? the poster retains copyright - posting photo's which are the property of others is surely a much murkier grey area . . . .

I'm sure no-one will ban you kidda - even if you can't spell omelette

take care

Chris

[whaleomeloette]

Originally Posted by Chris Yeates

royalty-free non-exclusive is hardly cheeky . . . . is it? the poster retains copyright - posting photo's which are the property of others is surely a much murkier grey area . . . .

I'm sure no-one will ban you kidda - even if you can't spell omelette

take care

Chris

WAB was throwing a weird one when i was registering and i had typed it in about 10 times and the time i typo's it registerd typical
all my other internet accounts can spell omelette