# Mushroom Id please



## jparr

This is growing in my yard north central Illinois, any ideas? Edible? Chicken?


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## More L's?

jparr said:


> This is growing in my yard north central Illinois, any ideas? Edible? Chicken?


Near oak tree? Looks like a hen.


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## jg010682

I dont think thats a hen break a good chunk off the side and flip it over and take another picture


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## jparr

jg010682 said:


> I dont think thats a hen break a good chunk off the side and flip it over and take another picture


 smells really earthy and it’s meaty plenty of oak trees within 30 yards


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## jg010682

Is it right next to oaks because hens grow from the roots of oak trees. Just from what im seeing im still not convinced its a hen. Ill have to look through my books when i get home and then i might be able to give you a better idea of what it could be.


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## jparr

No closest oak 15-20 yards, that oak is 1/4 dead up top. Here’s some pictures of a single section


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## jg010682

Definitely not hen of the woods then they are always close to a tree ill check my books when i get home and try to figure it out.


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## Jmay

Is that staining black on the bottem?
If so it may be Meripilus sumstinei / black staining polypore.


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## Jmay

Its cool looking, I really want to find one.


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## jparr

No not staining, the more research I do the more it does look like hen but like jg said its far from the trees. There are two and I mowed over them both about three weeks ago when they were half their current size and they fruited again. There are no gills but pores yes. I plan to leave them undisturbed till I figure out what they are. They are growing in layers.


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## jack

Meripilus sumstinei, and look at your third set of pictures. The underneath shows it's definitely staining, and with a little time it will be a dark gray or black. Young fruitings are a good edible. Some say better than the Hens.


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## jparr

K thanks, with these being close to a month old are they still going to be palatable? And any recommendations on preparation or preservation, with their current size, guessing 25-30 pounds total, I don’t see my family eating that in a week.


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## jack

jparr, someone else will have to chime in. I've never dealt with these, just Hens. I would guess you you should preserve them the same.


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## Already Gone

Blah, blah, blah.
Those are Hen-of-the-woods.
Fry them in butter with a little garlic.
Bon appetit!


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## Constance kayser

jparr said:


> This is growing in my yard north central Illinois, any ideas? Edible? Chicken?


Hen of the woods. Yes edible if young.


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## jg010682

I hate to inform you 2 but hen of the woods grows from tree roots not in an open field hear are some pictures for referance notice the trees within the view of the hens


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## Already Gone

With all due respect, you are full of it. I have been cutting sheepheads for for well over 50 years.
Those are Grifola frondosa - maitake/hen-of-the-woods/ram's head/sheepheads.
They are older than the fresh ones in the pictures above, that's all.
While it is true that the vast majority are found at the base of old oaks, we have found them several yards away from trees and on isolated, buried(not visible) stumps.

Bon appetit.


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## goshawk75

Anybody finding any hens in central IL?


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## ga_cracker

goshawk75 said:


> Anybody finding any hens in central IL?


Not yet in moline,, but soon!! Prolly 2 more weeks


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## Already Gone

They are just getting started north of I-80.
Friends/family have sent pictures of youngins from NW Indiana and spots near Chicago.


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## Already Gone

Time to clarify some butter and mince some garlic!


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## Osroc76

What area of PA?


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## Already Gone

Osroc76 said:


> What area of PA?


The part that is three states west of you.


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## Osroc76

Already Gone said:


> The part that is three states west of you.


Ah, I see. I'm sorry, I thought you were from PA. That would explain it because conditions here are horrible this year!


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## Already Gone

Osroc76 said:


> Ah, I see. I'm sorry, I thought you were from PA. That would explain it because conditions here are horrible this year!


Here in Northeast Illinois we are wetter than Trump's diaper.
We got another 2" overnight.
The hens are coming on strong - and a bit early.
Off to the woods!


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## Osroc76

Already Gone said:


> Here in Northeast Illinois we are wetter than Trump's diaper.
> We got another 2" overnight.
> The hens are coming on strong - and a bit early.
> Off to the woods!





Already Gone said:


> Here in Northeast Illinois we are wetter than Trump's diaper.
> We got another 2" overnight.
> The hens are coming on strong - and a bit early.
> Off to the woods!


Good luck! I'm heading out also


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## Kimbo

jparr said:


> This is growing in my yard north central Illinois, any ideas? Edible? Chicken?


Hen of woods


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## schak

I live in NW IN and have the same mushrooms growing in my lawn about 10 feet from an oak. We tore down trees and built our home 10 years ago, so I figured there were oak branches beneath the lawn. They've come up three years in a row and are delicious. If it's a little too old, I've found that the edges can still be very young and tender, unless I've been gone and came back way too late. Mine will grow right around the blades of grass and I'll have to pull the grass blades out when cleaning it. I've had quite a lot at once and when that happens, I freeze in strips. If they go straight from the freezer to a hot butter filled pan, they are as good as fresh!


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## fungiforager

schak said:


> I live in NW IN and have the same mushrooms growing in my lawn about 10 feet from an oak. We tore down trees and built our home 10 years ago, so I figured there were oak branches beneath the lawn. They've come up three years in a row and are delicious. If it's a little too old, I've found that the edges can still be very young and tender, unless I've been gone and came back way too late. Mine will grow right around the blades of grass and I'll have to pull the grass blades out when cleaning it. I've had quite a lot at once and when that happens, I freeze in strips. If they go straight from the freezer to a hot butter filled pan, they are as good as fresh!


I think it's the roots of the tree hosting that hen party. If I remember right a trees roots will extend as far as the branches so finding a hen not directly at the base of an oak occurs frequently


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## shroomsearcher

Already Gone said:


> With all due respect, you are full of it. I have been cutting sheepheads for for well over 50 years.
> Those are Grifola frondosa - maitake/hen-of-the-woods/ram's head/sheepheads.
> They are older than the fresh ones in the pictures above, that's all.
> While it is true that the vast majority are found at the base of old oaks, we have found them several yards away from trees and on isolated, buried(not visible) stumps.
> 
> Bon appetit.


Oysters will do the same thing! Leaving a local park parking lot I spotted a big, gorgeous oyster, but it seemed to be growing out of the ground! I had to be somewhere, but I resolved to come back the next day with a metal probe to check. When I pulled in to the parking lot, I could see a park employee on a rider mowing the grass! My heart sank! Sure enough, he had obliterated the oyster, but I could still see the stump of it. I sank the probe, and hit wood about 4" underground! I check that spot every year, and have never seen another oyster there.


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