Backyard Gardening: spore printing -- a step toward mushroom identification

The branch of biology related to mushrooms is mycology. I'm not a specialist in mycology. I am an ordinary person who is interested in how to identify mushrooms. In particular, I want to know mushrooms coming out of my yard after rain. Research shows that my identity is complex, and eventually it will give an expert in one field an exact ID. This also makes me very cautious.

Mushrooms are not plants. It is a fungus. In addition to mushrooms, other members of the fungus Kingdom include yeasts and molds. Most fungi are underground, having interconnected thread like structures, forming reticulation or mycelia. A mushroom is a subfruiting body on the ground.

To identify, experts rely on several factors, such as how the stem adheres to the cap, and if the mushroom is bruised, what color will be seen, and other factors, including the spore's imprinting. Spore imprinting shows that when the cap is separated, the color and pattern of the spores cause the gill side to fall and remain undisturbed for several hours on the hard surface.

Single spores are usually too small to be seen in normal environments.  When spores disperse, the human head is usually several feet above the ground. And I have a variety of mushrooms, they are scattered.  Therefore, in a closed environment, close to a large number of spores is abnormal. When dealing with mushrooms, I always use disposable gloves and masks. When I finished, I threw them into a plastic bag and went directly into my trash bin. I did everything in the garage, and I didn't bring anything at home. I don't know if this is necessary, but this is the key. I don't know.

When mushrooms appeared for the first time, the caps had not yet been opened. To perform spore printing, wait until the cap is opened, but before the spores fall off. My mushrooms spent several hours, from mushrooms on the grass for the first time until the lid was opened.  When I was about to pick up the mushrooms, I put my equipment on the ground and gently pulled it out of the soil. I turn it upside down so that I won't lose spores. In the garage, everything is ready.

I remove it from a box of salad vegetables with a hard, transparent plastic cover. The color of spores varies greatly, so it is best to use clear things. I carefully removed the hat from the hat and put the lid on the plastic. Then I gently put it with the empty salad container. I put the container on the lid so that it can be removed without disturbing the mushroom. Spores must be protected from any movement, including movement from air. I left one night.

On the second day, I took the lid off and carefully lifted the hat so as not to stain the printed matter and put the hat in the trash can. Even if your prints look strong, they are made of tiny spores easily disturbed. I'm surprised that the color of the white mushrooms is green. Research has found that my mushrooms may be Chlorophyllum molybdites (rather toxic), or at least some of them in chlorophyll.

The guide to the identification of mushrooms is always asking about the printing of spores. Now, you know how to get it.

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