Top 20 Most Common Mushrooms in Idaho

The thallus, or vegetative body, has a fructicose shape — that is, shrubby and densely branched — and a bright yellow to yellow-green, or chartreuse color, although the color will fade in drier specimens. Its dimensions are typically 2 to 7 cm (0.8 to 3 in) in diameter. The vegetative reproductive structures soredia and isidia are present on the surface of the thalli, often abundantly.

The shaggy mane mushroom is commonly found in North American and European grasslands. Some peoples foraged for its young egg-shaped caps, but it has more recently been found to be a bioaccumulator of heavy metals, meaning it pulls toxic metals up from the soil where it grows. As a result, shaggy manes should not be eaten. The mushrooms usually appear in clusters or “fairy rings.”

A delicate little fairy-tale-looking mushroom, the milky conecap shows up in moist woodlands, fields, and lawns. The species' common name refers to its deep and pointed cap, which looks much like a garden gnome's hat. While the species is not known to be toxic, it is too small and delicate to bother with for culinary purposes.

As 'Aspen' in its common name implies, the aspen oyster mushroom grows exclusively on dead aspen trees (the Populus genus). This oyster mushroom has a pleasant aroma, reminiscent of almond or anise. Like all oyster mushrooms, the aspen oyster mushroom can be used for dyeing wool, paper and fabrics.

If you've ever gone on a walk through the woods where dead conifers are present, there's a good chance you've seen a veiled polypore. The fungus' name comes from the fact that it's pores are "veiled" by a rounded piece of tissue. Indeed, rather than growing in sheet-like formations like other polypores, the veiled polypore can be nearly spherical. These mushrooms are especially prevalent in pine stands that have been ravaged by fire or beetles.

A rare albino mutant lacking orange pigment The fruiting body of C. fulgens is roughly cup-shaped, although the cup may be somewhat flattened, lopsided or split; the size is up to 4 centimetres (1.6 in) in diameter. The inner surface of the cup is orange-yellow, while the external surface is pale yellow. Either the margin around the rim or the entire outer surface may be stained olive-green. The green or bluish staining that occurs upon injury or with age is unique within the Pezizales order. The stem, if present, is rather short. The spore deposit is white. A single specimen of an albino form, 2 centimetres (0.8 in) in diameter, was discovered in Northern Idaho; it was found to be lacking the pigment responsible for staining the outer surface olive-green. The spores are translucent (hyaline), roughly spherical, thin-walled and smooth, with dimensions of 6–8 µm in diameter. The asci, the spore-bearing cells, are cylindrical and 80–100 by 7–8 µm; the paraphyses are thin and filamentous and contain orange granules. Edibility has not been recorded for this fungus.

The thallus of this lichen is described as foliose, having the aspect of leaves, although the central portions of the thallus may appear nearly crustose. It is small, typically less than 5 cm (2 in) wide, with lobes less than 2 mm (0.08 in) broad, appressed to loosely appressed. The upper surface is some shade of orange while the lower surface is white, corticate, with short, sparse hapters (an attachment structure produced by some lichens). The vegetative propagules called soredia and isidia are absent, although apothecia are common. It has been described as possessing swollen, orange-yellow thalli (in streams), compact orange thalli (on boulders) or dark orange-red thalli on the driest rock faces. The variety X. elegans var. granulifera, characterized by having isidia-like vegetative propagules, has been reported from Greenland and Spitsbergen.

Hemipholiota populnea, sometimes listed as Pholiota populnea in guidebooks, is a large and distinctive mushroom that is almost always found growing on dead cottonwood trees. Fruitbodies of the hemipholiota populnea have an almost overstuffed appearance - they sport stocky caps and stalks that are often shaggy.

Red-belted polypore is a shelf fungus that's usually seen on aspen, birch, and various conifer trees. This perennial mushroom is known to cause the cubical brown rot in host trees. A species new to science, it was named in honor of Irene Mounce, a Canadian mycologist.