Here on iNat and elsewhere, it is a very common practice in the identification of mushrooms, shelf lichens, and other fungi to pick them or break pieces off to show the gills and other underside features. I am not too familiar with mushroom biology, but I do know that the caps we tend to pick are th…

[image] coniontises: It’s best to collect lichens in moderation and only when necessary for microscopy/herbaria/testing. And since lichenologists constantly tell us that the only way to identify lichens is by microscopy and chemical testing, that creates an incentive to collect them.

@wildlife_lore was talking about shelf lichens, which are not lichens at all, but most testing on lichen can be done in the field.

Since a number of the more distinctive large lichens are reportedly IDable through normal photographs alone (even though the keys seem unwilling to admit this), well, you know.

Also, I assumed “shelf lichen” probably referred to nonphotosynthetic shelf/bracket fungi (Stereum, Schizophyllum, Polyporaceae, etc.) but since “lichen” is not the normal common name for those taxa I hastened to mention actual lichens to discourage wanton actual-lichen peeling.

Anywaaaaaaays: Yeah, like people said above, ephemeral mushrooms and annual shelf fungi are basically okay to pick if no laws are violated, perennial shelf fungi and true lichens should be dealt with more cautiously. A lot of perennial and some annual shelves also house long-lived sedentary insect…

Thanks for asking this. I had been wondering myself.

I assumed “shelf lichen” probably referred to nonphotosynthetic shelf/bracket fungi (Stereum , Schizophyllum , Polyporaceae, etc.) Yes, I had been referring to shelf/bracket fungi rather than actual lichens, but it is rather good to know about actual lichens as well. I will definitely change some…

Ah i didnt know that nomenclature term use, not heard it before tbh. For such that are long lived, id still follow the same rules for ethics i outlined above, however, picking for photos of those generally is not required at all. Most of us can ID them with a general photo (and note wood type pleas…

I would usually try to stick my phone lens under a mushroom cap to get the gills and stipe. It can be fussy to get the camera to focus, but it works with patience. Sometimes, I have a small mirror with me so I can get a picture of the underside using that. Occasionally, I’ve accidentally broken the…

All the mushrooms I’ve met have been thoroughly amoral.

Mushroom Ethics

General

jacleonardi October 31, 2022, 10:32pm 24

Thanks, very helpful to know the harvesting practice of above-surface mushrooms is not damaging. So you confirm the underlying mycellium is not damaged, also not through walking, compacting etc.?

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Mushroom Ethics

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