Shaggy Mane

No, "shaggy mane" isn't the pelt of an old English sheepdog.  This is a common fungus of the Inky Cap family (Coprinaceae), so common, in fact, that it has grown literally in my back yard -- although I took this photo in an old-growth forest of Douglas-fir and true fir in the Cascade Mountains of southern Washington state.  

Despite their delicate appearance, shaggy manes are well known to be able to push up through asphalt.  They do this essentially with hydrostatic pressure as they absorb water and expand.  

Shaggy manes are wonderfully edible, and have been suggested as a substitute for asparagus. They can also be pickled.  But pick them quickly before the pileus (the cap) releases its spores and liquifies into black ink!  

However, we do not advocate picking and eating wild mushrooms ...without experience and technical knowledge of the species!  Many mushrooms are poisonous!

--Bruce G. Marcot

Image and text © Bruce G. Marcot, Ph.D. Research Wildlife Ecologist,
who produces the Ecology Picture of the Week website.