Mushrooms and Other Fungi

These are some examples of mushrooms and other fungi that have been seen at Jewel Cave National Monument or on the Hell Canyon Trail nearby. Fungi can be found along the surface trails and near the Visitor Center. Please note that per the Superintendent's Compendium, wild mushrooms may not be picked at Jewel Cave National Monument. Take pictures, but don't damage the mushrooms. Other fungi should also be left alone.

 

Pinewood Gingertail mushrooms are seen here in a cluster. Their caps turn upward when mature.

H. Krisp

Pinewood Gingertail

Scientific Name: Xeromphalina campanella

Family: Mycenaceae

Season: May - September

Alternate Names: Fuzzy Foot, Golden Trumpet, Tiny Trumpet, Bell Omphalina

This small orange mushroom tends to grow in clusters on decaying pine wood, hence the name. It is found throughout the growing season after soaking rains.

 

Granulated Slippery Jacks have been seen near the walkway from the parking lot to the visitor center.

J. Dalland

Granulated Slippery Jack

Scientific Name: Suillus granulatus

Family: Suillaceae

Season: May - September

Alternate Names: Dotted-stalked Suillus

The Granulated Slippery Jack is the most common mushroom seen at Jewel Cave. These bright yellow to orange mushrooms grow on the ground often near pine trees, which are likewise the dominant trees at Jewel Cave. Granulated Slippery Jacks have a cap and stem with pores on the underside of the cap. The smooth and sometimes slimy cap starts out round and bright yellow, then flattens and darkens with age. They grow either singly or in a cluster. They resemble related species such as other Slippery Jacks or Chicken Fat mushrooms, which are all edible but disagreeable to some because of the slimy texture of the cap.

 

Six earthstars are seen in various stages of their life cycle, from "blooming" to releasing spores from a hole on the top of its sphere.

B. Mitchell

Collared Earthstar

Scientific Name: Geastrum triplex

Family: Earthstars (Geastraceae)

Season: May - September

Alternate Names: None

This medium-sized unusual mushroom has a gray central sphere containing the spores, surrounded by a light brown base that is somewhat star-shaped. Because of their appearance, they are called earthstars.

 

Common puffballs like this one are sometimes seen on disturbed ground such as the Canyons Trail.

S. Brown

Common Puffball

Scientific Name: Lycoperdon perlatum

Family: Agaricaceae

Season: May - September

Alternate Names: Warted Puffball, Gem-Studded Puffball, Devil's Snuff-Box

These small spherical mushrooms are sometimes seen growing in bare dirt or short grass in places such as the Canyons Trail. They are uniformly white inside and out with no stem, but old specimens are brown and release a cloud of spores when pressed, hence the name "puffball". Despite their small size, some other puffball species can grow to the size of volleyballs or larger.

 

Pavement mushrooms are often seen emerging from packed soil near the visitor center. Loose soil and rocks get a ride on the cap!

J. Dalland

Pavement Mushroom

Scientific Name: Agaricus bitorquis

Family: Agaricaceae

Season: June - October

Alternate Names: Spring Agaricus

Pavement mushrooms are sometimes seen bursting through gravel on the sides of trails and walkways of Jewel Cave. As the name implies, they can even burst through pavement, and the caps often have loose soil or gravel sitting on top of them. Young specimens have a white cap and purplish-brown gills while older specimens have brown caps with nearly black gills. The stems are always stumpy with a skirt-like ring. Pavement mushrooms grow either singly or in groups, and often it's just the cap that you can see unless you pick them (which is prohibited).

 

Red-belted conks as a group have colorful tops and creamy white bottoms. You can sometimes find them at Jewel Cave growing on the sides of pine trees.

NPS/B. Garcia Photo

Schrenk's Red-Belt Conk

Scientific Name: Fomitopsis schrenkii

Family: Fomitopsidaceae

Season: Year-Round

Alternate Names: None

This C-shaped mushroom grows on the sides of conifers such as ponderosa pines. It has a somewhat woody texture, and it has multicolored bands in shades of red, orange, brown, and white. The underside is somewhat white or light brown in color and looks smooth. Schrenk's Red-Belt Conk used to be thought of as the same species as the Red-Belted Polypore, but a scientific paper from 2019 reclassified it as a different species.

 

Black knots, such as this one, are often found on the branches of chokecherry trees along the Canyons Trail and near the Historic Entrance.

J. Dalland

Black Knot

Scientific Name: Dibotryon morbosum

Family: Venturiaceae

Season: Year-Round

Alternate Names: None

This ugly fungus is not a mushroom, but rather an infection made of microscopic individuals. Black knots are often found enveloping the small branches of Prunus trees, such as chokecherry trees which are common on the Canyons Trail. There is such a close association between black knots and chokecherry trees at Jewel Cave that if you see a black knot on a tree, that tree is a chokecherry tree.