Laccaria laccata (Tricholomataceae) Common Laccaria
Grows solitary to scattered on soil in mixed woods
Cap – 1.5 to 3 cm, convex, medium orange-brown, smooth, thin eroded striate margin
Gills – Adnexed to sinuate, dull pink, close to sub-distant, very broad, edges eroded
Flesh – Orange-brown to pinkish-tan, medium-thin
Stalk – 5 to 9.5 cm by 2 to 3 mm, medium orange-brown, flexuous, fibrous-striate, pithy-cartilaginous
Spore print – White
Spores – 7-9 microns, nearly round, strongly warted to spiny, non-amyloid
Comments: This is a fairly common species found from mid September to late October and has also been seen at the Rushes Kangaroo Lake trails, Mink River Preserve, Newport Park, Washington Island and other Lake Michigan area woods. |
Lactarius camphoratus (Russulaceae) Maple Milk Cap
Grows scattered on soil in mixed woods
Cap – 2.5 to 4.5 cm, broadly convex to plane with a blunt umbo, medium cinnamon brown with darker umbo, dry, dull, not viscid, striate or hygrophanous, smooth
Gills – Adnate to short-decurrent, medium tan, close to crowded, narrow
Flesh – Pinkish-brown to pale brown, medium thick, latex white and unchanging, no flavor, distinct maple syrup odor
Stalk – 3 to 4 cm by 4 to 9 mm, tapers downward, dark brown, dry, dull sheen, not viscid, pithy, brittle
Spore print – White
Spores – 6-8 microns, nearly round, spiny, amyloid
Comments: This mushroom is never very large and can blend in with the forest floor due to its reddish-brown color. The best way to sense its maple odor is to wrap several fresh fruiting bodies in a waxed paper bag, store for an hour or so and then smell inside the bag just after opening it. They are found from mid August to early October and have also been seen at the Mink River Preserve and Whitefish Dunes. |
Lactarius deliciosus (Russulaceae) Delicious Milk Cap
  
Grows scattered to gregarious on soil in grass or in mixed woods
Cap – 4 to 7 cm, broadly convex with sunken center to a shallow funnel, bright light orange with concentric zoned pattern, margin incurved to uplifted in age, slightly tacky surface
Gills – Adnate to slight decurrent, medium orange, sub-distant, medium broad
Flesh – White but changes quickly to orange due to the orange latex, medium thick
Stalk – 3.5 to 5 cm by 1 cm, central, cylindrical, concolor, slightly mottled or scrobiculate, pithy to hollow, tapers downward
Spore print – Pale yellow to buff
Spores – 8-12 x 6.5-10 microns, nearly round, reticulate, amyloid
Comments: When very fresh this is a beautiful mushroom and will exude copious bright orange latex. It can be found from mid August to mid October and is more common than many other milk caps. It has also been seen Newport State Park and The Ridges Sanctuary. |
Lactarius uvidus (Russulaceae) Purple-staining Milk Cap
 
Grows widely scattered on soil in mixed woods
Cap – 4 to 5 cm, Convex to flat with depressed center and tiny umbo, incurved margin, light brownish-gray, smooth
Gills – Adnate to short decurrent, white to pale tan, broad, close
Flesh – White, slowly stains purple when cut, latex creamy white
Stalk – 5 to 7 cm by 1 cm, central, cylindrical, off-white, smooth, dry, pithy to hollow
Spore print – Yellowish-white
Spores – 7.5-11 x 6-8 microns, oval, reticulate, amyloid
Comments: This mushroom is never found in abundance and not seen every year. It has been found from mid August to late September and has also been seen at The Ridges Sanctuary and the Mink River Preserve. |
Lactarius vinaceorufescens (Russulaceae) Yellow-staining Milk Cap
  
Grows widely scattered on soil in mixed woods
Cap – 2 to 6 cm, broadly convex, sunken center with low umbo, orange-brown, tacky to slightly viscid, smooth
Gills – Adnate, creamy off-white, close to crowded, medium broad, haphazardly forked
Flesh – White, medium thick, milky white latex quickly changes to bright light yellow
Stalk – 3 to 7 cm, pale dull pink-tan, smooth, pithy to hollow
Spore print – White to buff
Spores – 6 to 9 microns, nearly round, spiny, amyloid
Comments: This species has been confused with L. chrysorheus which is a southern species. This is not a real common mushroom, being seen only once every few years. It appears from mid August to mid October and has also been seen at Meridian County Park, Door County Land Trust Kangaroo Lake Preserve and The Ridges Sanctuary. |
Laetiporus sulphureus (Polyporaceae) Sulphur Shelf
 
Grows solitary but more often in dense overlapping layers on dead or living hardwoods and conifers
Cap – 5 to 40 cm wide, semicircle to fan shape, bright orange to yellow orange with paler rounded outer margin, surface often wrinkled and bumpy; no stalk
Pore surface – Pale yellow, 2 to 4 pores per mm, pores are difficult to see when very young, darkening with bruising and in age, tubes 1 to 4 mm long
Flesh – Pale yellow, thick, soft and spongy when fresh
Spore print – White
Spores – 5-7 x 3-5 microns, nearly round, entire
Comments: This relatively common species is easily identified due to its brilliant orange color in its wooded habitats. It grows from mid June to late September and has been seen at Peninsula Park and Whitefish Dunes. |
Lycogala epidendron (Reticulariaceae) Toothpaste Slime or Wolf’s-milk Slime
 
Grows scattered to clustered on dead logs
Fruiting body – 3 to 15 mm in diameter, dull pinkish tan balls with no stalks, filled with pink creamy substance that oozes out when punctured, dries to hard small knobs
Spores – Clear, 6.5 – 7 microns, round, spiny, netted, almost looked double-walled
Comments: This fairly common species grows from August to late October and has also been seen at Kangaroo Lake TNC Preserve, Whitefish Dunes State Park, Newport Park and Rock Island. |
Lycoperdon marginatum (Lycoperdaceae) Peeling Puffball
Grows scattered to gregarious on sandy soil in mixed woods
Fruiting body –2 to 4 cm tall by 3 to 5 cm wide, off white, densely covered with pyramid-like hairy tipped warts which peel off in sheets at maturity leaving a tan smooth undersurface
Spores – Olive brown, 4-5 microns, round, minutely warted or spiny
Comments: These grow from early September to mid October and have also been seen at the Ridges Sanctuary and Whitefish Dunes State Park. It is also know as Lycoperdon candidum. |
Lycoperdon perlatum (Lycoperdaceae) Gem-studded Puffball
Grows solitary to scattered or clustered on soil in open woods often under conifers
Fruiting body – 3 to 6 cm tall by 2 to 3 cm wide, medium yellow tan to gray tan, top is often turban shaped with a 1.5 to 2 cm wide stalk that is 2 to 3 cm long. Top has 1 mm high pointed scales that rub off leaving tiny golf ball-like surface indentations.
Spores – Medium brown, 3-4 microns, spiny or finely warted
Comments: This fairly common species grows from late August to late October and has also been seen at Mink River, Peninsula Park, Rock Island and Whitefish Dunes. |
Lycoperdon pyriforme (Lycoperdaceae) Pear-shaped Puffball
Grows scattered to gregarious on rotting hardwood logs and stumps
Fruiting body – 2 to 3 cm tall by 2 cm wide, tan to medium brown, pale tan narrowed base, top has fine upright points widely spaced on the surface
Spores – Brown, 3.5-4.5 microns, round, smooth
Edibility – See L. marginatum, tasteless
Comments: This very common species grows from mid August to late October and has also been seen at Newport Park, Peninsula Park, Washington Island, Rock Island, Whitefish Dunes, Mink River and Kangaroo Lake Preserve. |
Marasmius androsaceus (Tricholomataceae) Horsehair Fungus
 
Grows gregariously on fallen spruce needles
Cap – 5 to 10 mm, convex with slightly depressed center, white
Gills – Adnate, white to cream, sub-distant, intervenose
Flesh – Little to none
Stalk – 3 to 4 cm by .5 mm, central, dark brown, wire-like
Spore print – White, but often difficult to obtain
Spores – 6-9 x 2.5-4.5 microns, elliptical, entire, non-amyloid
Edibility – Not edible; too tough and too small
Comments: This species is difficult to find as each fruiting body is attached to one fallen spruce needle lying on the dark ground. They appear from early July to late September and have also been seen at The Ridges Sanctuary. |
Marasmius oreades (Tricholomataceae) Fairy Ring Mushroom
  
Grows gregariously or in fairy rings in grassy areas
Cap – 2 to 4 cm, broadly convex with a low umbo, yellow-tan, smooth, hygrophanous, not striate, slightly scurfy surface on umbo
Gills – Adnexed to nearly free, tan, sub-distant, broad
Flesh – White to pale tan, thick, unpleasant acrid odor
Stalk – 4 to 6 cm by 3 to 5 mm, pale tan, central and cylindrical, tapers downward, tough, solid to pithy, smooth apex, scurfy base
Spore print – White
Spores – 6-8.5 x 4-6 microns, oval, entire, non-amyloid
Comments: This mushroom is quite common in many parts of Door County where large grassy areas exist. At Toft Point it has been found in the west end of the old field and east of the barn. It appears from early August through late September. |
Microglossum rufum (Geoglossaceae) Flat-headed Earth Tongue
Grows scattered to clustered on well-rotted wood or buried wood in mixed forests
Fruiting body – 3 to 4.5 cm tall, head is 5 to 10 mm wide and 1 to 1.5 cm tall, deep yellow to yellow-orange, spoon-like and slightly compressed head
Flesh – Thin and brittle
Stalk – 2 cm tall by 2 to 4 mm wide, concolor, scurfy-scaly near apex
Spores – Clear, 30-47 x 5-7 microns, entire, look like long skinny bananas
Comments: This uncommon species grows from mid July to late September and has also been seen at Meridian County Park, Mink River, Newport Park and The Ridges Sanctuary. |
Morchella esculenta (Morchellaceae) Yellow or Tan Morel
  
Grows solitary to scattered on soil in open woods or fields
Cap – 4 to 12 cm tall by 2 to 5 cm wide, oval to slightly irregular shape, yellow-brown to tan, pits roundish to irregular not as vertically set as in the black morel
Flesh – little to none
Stalk – 1 to 6 cm tall by 1 to 3 cm wide, light tan, hollow and confluent with the lower edge of the cap, finely granular surface, equal or enlarged at base
Spores – Clear, 17-24 x 9-14 microns, elliptical, entire
Comments: This species is rather rare at Toft Point. It grows in May to early June and has been found in many other areas of Door County. |
Mycena alcalina (Tricholomataceae) Alkaline Mycena
Grows in clusters on well-rotted conifer wood
Cap – 2 to 4 cm, conic to bell-shaped aging to nearly flat, low umbo, dark gray when young fading to pale gray or gray-brown, smooth, striate
Gills – Adnate to slightly decurrent, grayish-white, close, broad
Flesh – Gray, thin, odor like bleach
Stalk – 3 to 6 cm by 1.5 to 2.5 mm, pale gray, smooth, fragile, hollow
Spore print – White
Spores – 7-9 x 5 microns, elliptical, entire, strongly amyloid
Comments: This is a very uncommon species, recorded only once at Toft Point by Veronica Pavlat in the fall of 1983. It has also been seen at the Mink River Preserve. |
Mycena atroalboides (Tricholomataceae) No common name
 
Grows solitary to scattered on soil near rotted conifers
Cap – 1 cm tall by 1.7 cm wide, hemispheric, medium brown, dry, no sheen, smooth, strongly striate halfway to center of cap
Gills – Adnate, gray, sub-distant, broad
Flesh – Gray, thin
Stalk – 7.5 cm by 1 to 2 mm, white apex, light gray-brown lower half, central, curved, smooth, pithy to hollow
Spore print – White
Spores – 8-10 x 4-6 microns, oval, entire, amyloid
Comments: Very rare; seen only once at Toft Point in October 2006 and one time at Whitefish Dunes on 10-12-95. |
Mycena capillaris (Tricholomataceae) Miniscule Mycena
  
Grows scattered on soil or in moss under conifers or mixed woods
Cap – 5-7 mm, conic to bell-shaped, broad umbo, dull, dry, soft light gray-brown, darker center, striate
Gills – Adnexed, light tan, broad, close to sub-distant, not emarginate
Flesh – little to none
Stalk – Central, cylindrical, 2.5-6 cm x 1 mm, medium-tan, smooth, white hairs at base
Spore print – White
Spores – Elliptical, entire, non-amyloid, 8-9 x 3.75-4.5 microns
Comments: this very slender tall mushroom can be missed if you walk by too fast; it is found in September and October |
Mycena pura (Tricholomataceae) Lilac Mycena
Grows solitary or clustered on soil in mixed woods
Cap – 1.5 to 4 cm, broadly convex to nearly flat with a lightly tomentose (fine hairs) low umbo, margin smooth, dry, hygrophanous
Gills – Adnate to short decurrent, dull lilac, no dark edges, sub-distant, very broad
Flesh – White to very pale lilac, very thin, radish odor
Stalk – 7 cm by 2-3 mm, central, white to pale lilac, hairy base, smooth, hollow
Spore print – White
Spores – 5-10 x 3-5 microns, elliptical, entire, amyloid
Comments: This is never abundant being reported only once at Toft Point by Veronica Pavlat in the fall of 1983. It can be found mostly in September to mid October and has also been seen at Mink River Preserve, Washington Island and Whitefish Dunes State Park. |
Mycena subcana (Tricholomataceae) Neutral Gray Mycena
   
Grows scattered on soil or in moss under conifers
Cap – 1.5-2 cm, conic to bell-shaped, gray-brown, smooth, dry, striate margin is pale gray
Gills – Adnate, pale gray, broad, close to sub-distant, not emarginate
Flesh – White, very thin
Stalk – Central, cylindrical, 3-7 cm x 1-3 mm, apex is pale gray, rest is medium gray with a very hairy base, smooth, fragile, pithy to hollow
Spore print – White
Spores – Elliptical, smooth, amyloid, 8-11 x 5-7.5 microns
Comments: Found from September to early November, also seen at Whitefish Dunes State Park and Meridian County Park |
Naematoloma sublateritium (Strophariaceae) Brick Tops
  
Grows scattered to cespitose on fallen hardwoods, mainly paper birch
Cap – 3 to 5 cm, hemispheric to convex becoming flat in age, medium yellow brown to orange brown, faintly furry, hygrophanous, margin incurved at first
Gills- Sinuate or adnate to short decurrent, close to crowded, pale tan when young, gray when mature, very broad
Flesh – Tan to medium brown, medium thick
Stalk – 4 to 6 cm by 4 to 8 mm, pale tan apex, rest is medium brown to dark brown base, tough, pithy to hollow, fibrous striate
Spore print – Purple brown
Spores – 6-8 x 3-4 microns, oval, entire
Comments: This fairly common species is found growing from early September to late October. It has also been seen at Newport State Park and Whitefish Dunes. Another genus name is Hypholoma. |
Otidea auricula (Pyronemataceae) no common name
  
Grows scattered to clustered on soil under conifers
Fruiting body an upright cup-like structure with a short stalk, curved fertile inner side is a rich deep chocolate brown with a dull matte surface; outer surface is slightly paler with a dull sheen
Size – 6-9 cm tall x 2.5-5 cm wide
No gills
Flesh – whitish, thin, brittle
Stalk – 2 cm x 8-12 mm, light tan with edges curled and almost meeting
Spores – Clear, entire, oval, 18-24 x 12-16 microns
Comments: found in June on trail leading to east edge of old field; area is now covered by large fallen Eastern Hemlock; also known as Helvella silvacola and Wynnella silvacola |
