Trees, Plants & Fungi

Bleeding Tooth in the Forest

Posted by Neil on

[AUG2020] There are a great variety of fungi on the property, especially in spring and autumn. Some are beautiful, some are “ugly”, some are massive (see blog post Aliens Emerging), and all are intricate. And some are downright scary! In early August I came across these along a path through the spruce tunnel in the southeast part of the property.

I took this pic on Aug 4th shortly after they emerged. By late August they had transformed into gray-brown flat-topped mushrooms that would not have stood out in a crowd.

It was pretty easy to identify and look up, not too much else like it! The Bleeding Tooth Fungus, properly known as Hydnellum peckii is, according to Wikipedia, technically edible though “unpalatable”. In their early stage, they ooze a red goo (which I don’t think is the technical term) that makes them almost look like a sweet dessert. I’ve had a few guests wander around on fungi photo safaris in spring and fall but this unique specimen is best seen in summer.