More Early Season Stuff

These pop up in the front yard in the same spot almost every spring. It has a noticeable radish odor when crushed, which is usually characteristic of Hebeloma rather than Inocybe. But, the cap surface is dry and fibrillose rather than viscid, which is more like Inocybe. The dark, broad umbo is distinguishing. Neither genus offers good edibles as far as I know. Poisonous mushrooms are common in each genus.

Early Find ID Request

Critters were digging holes in the soil in the front yard. This is in the forest, and a large oak is near where I was finding the holes. Looking into a hole, I saw something light-colored, 3" or 4" down in the darker soil. I retrieved a small (~10mm), spherical object that looked like it had been broken open.

The peridium was hard with small, regular bumps (kinda like a basketball, I had to use a loupe to see them). The gleba was light-gray and pasty. On drying the gleba became powdery. Couldn't detect any odor. The taste is moldy. ID suggestions are welcome.

No suggestions as of yet (Apr. 11). I'm gonna hazard a guess; Leucogaster? This guess is based on the white mature spore mass, and the hard, rind-like skin/peridium. Animals (squirrels?) are still digging fresh holes where I found the first specimen. All the holes are concentrated in a circular area about 5' in diameter, with tighter clusters of holes within this space. I'll try to find another specimen, today or tomorrow. This being Easter weekend.

WTF? ID Request for Early Finds

These were found growing around the trunk of a standing dead pine tree. They appear widely-spaced around the trunk, not clustered. Average size is about an inch, some bigger some smaller. The golden-orange color attracted my attention.

The skin or peridium is very smooth, somewhat shiny, thick and tough. Initial appearance resembles a balloon being squeezed out under pressure from fissures in the tree bark. It resisted being cut with a sharp knife. Taste is bitter, more so than other puffballs I've tasted. On slicing, I was surprised to find it hollow. I will have to check others to see if they too are hollow. IDs are welcome.

A comment to this post suggests this is actually a polypore, Cryptoporus volvatus! If the chance arises, I'll return to the tree to see if the mushrooms have matured into a form more resembling a polypore.