Parrot Toadstool - Gliophorus psittacinus

Maybe I'm expecting too much from a mushroom, but I found this mushroom growing sideways at the bottom o a rotting stump. I would have expected it to straighten out and have the gills completely facing the ground so its spores would best be dispersed. But, I'm not a mushroom, and I'm assuming this mushroom "knows" better than I do.


As much as the intense sliminess of these mushrooms makes me squirm and practically gag, I still love them and think they are awesome. They are so hard to hold though - constantly slipping out of your fingers like a fish.

Caps were slimy, lined, and ranged in color from green to orange/yellow. The gills were orange, nearly distant, and had frequent short gills. The stipes were slimy and colors were green to yellow.

Habitat: Growing on the ground, at the base of a stump, in a mixed forest - under eastern hemlock.