Field guide · Species directory
Fungi & Lichens
Yellow Morel
Morchella esculenta
The most prized wild mushroom in North America — a honeycomb-textured fruiting body that appears for a few weeks each spring. Morel hunting …
Artist's Conk
Ganoderma applanatum
A massive woody perennial shelf fungus that can persist on a single host tree for decades. The pure white spore-bearing underside instantly …
Beefsteak Morel
Gyromitra esculenta
A false morel that looks like a brain-shaped reddish-brown cap. Contains gyromitrin, a precursor to monomethylhydrazine (rocket fuel) — eati…
Black Trumpet
Craterellus cornucopioides
A small dark trumpet-shaped edible mushroom. Highly prized but easy to overlook on forest floor.
Chicken of the Woods
Laetiporus sulphureus
A spectacular bright orange-and-yellow shelf fungus that grows in overlapping fan-shaped clusters on tree wounds. Edible and famously meaty-…
Cinnabar Polypore
Pycnoporus cinnabarinus
A small brilliant orange-red shelf fungus on fallen wood. Easily identified by its vivid color and small size. Causes white rot of hardwoods…
Dryad's Saddle
Polyporus squamosus
A large polypore mushroom growing on dead or dying hardwoods.
False Honey Mushroom
Armillaria mellea (cousins)
Various Armillaria species closely related to honey mushroom.
Fly Agaric
Amanita muscaria
The iconic red-with-white-spots mushroom of fairy tales — toxic and psychoactive, not safely edible. Forms essential mycorrhizal partnership…
Giant Puffball
Calvatia gigantea
A massive white spherical mushroom that can exceed 20 inches across and weigh 50 pounds. Edible when young (interior pure white); inedible a…
Golden Chanterelle
Cantharellus cibarius
A trumpet-shaped golden-orange mushroom prized worldwide for its apricot aroma and rich flavor. Forms underground mycorrhizal partnerships e…
Hen of the Woods
Grifola frondosa
A large clustered mushroom that grows on old hardwood trees. Prized culinary mushroom; can grow to massive size.
Honey Mushroom
Armillaria mellea
Honey-yellow gilled mushrooms that fruit in dense clusters on stumps and roots. The underground network of a related species in Oregon (Armi…
King Bolete
Boletus edulis
A prized edible mushroom (the European "porcini" or "cep") with a thick brown cap and pale spongy underside (not gilled). Forms mycorrhizal …
Lion's Mane
Hericium erinaceus
A striking white "pom-pom" of long delicate spines that grows from tree wounds and dead wood. Famously delicious — texture and flavor remini…
Old Man of the Woods
Strobilomyces strobilaceus
A distinctive black-scaled bolete.
Oyster Mushroom
Pleurotus ostreatus
A common edible white-to-tan fungus with overlapping shelf-like clusters on dead wood. One of the few wild mushrooms that's easy to identify…
Reindeer Lichen
Cladonia rangiferina
A pale gray-green branching lichen (a symbiosis of fungus and alga) that carpets boreal forest floors and arctic tundra. The primary winter …
Reishi (Hemlock Varnish Shelf)
Ganoderma tsugae
A reddish-brown polypore with a glossy lacquered surface, native cousin to Asian medicinal reishi. Grows on dying or dead hemlocks.
Shaggy Mane
Coprinus comatus
A tall cylindrical mushroom covered in upturned scales (the "shaggy" mane). Edible when young, but liquefies into black ink within hours of …
Turkey Tail
Trametes versicolor
A common shelf fungus with concentric bands of contrasting color — brown, tan, blue-gray, white — resembling a wild turkey's tail. One of th…
Western Truffle (Tuber gibbosum)
Tuber gibbosum
A native truffle of the Pacific Northwest, prized by chefs for its rich aromatic flavor. Forms mycorrhizal partnerships with Douglas-fir roo…
Yellow Jelly Fungus
Tremella mesenterica
A bright yellow gelatinous fungus that looks like a clump of brain-shaped lobes. Edible but mostly insipid; sometimes used in soups in East …
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