Found near a horse farm in the Cowichan valley. Hardwood forest, October 7th. It was alone, covered in a slime, and was firm when cut. The outer cap was red-maroon and the stem was white. What mushroom is this?
Does it smell quite awful in any older,withered areas? It looks a lot like Russula xerampelina, although I would have liked to see a little color on the stipe in order to be more sure of that ID. It's growth in hardwoods isn't typical however, so.... Was this an Acer macrophylum/Quercus garryana woodland, or a lake-streamside Poplar/Aspen kind of thing? Were any conifers present at all?
The woods were coniferous with some maples, and the location was near a flooded trail, just under some shrubs. As for odor, I was too chicken to get very close to smell it but didnt notice any strong odors.
Oh, okay then. Well, I'll go with the original R. xerampelina given we haven't got any way to check for the peppery or "acrid" taste many of this Family have. There's no need to worry about fatalities with this bunch, but the acrid taste and a reports of gastrointestinal upset are enough to want to be sure of your ID nonetheless. Oh! "Too scared to get close to it?". My man! Mushrooms are your friend...or at least they make a great reason to get out of the house, into the fresh air armed only with a field guide, stick of butter, and a pan. I picked some Shrimp Russula just up the road in Nanaimo there that was extraordinarily shrimp flavoured, firm fleshed, yet barely scented when it was still fresh! I keep hoping to find one that is in that perfect stage again, but without much success at all. So...outside of a few molds whose inhalation can lead to dire results, even the most deadly of the large mushrooms are not so poisonous as to be too dangerous to handle. I realize that a number of "experts" tell people to wash their hands after handling unknown mushrooms, but these people really do a disservice to mycology and appreciation for nature as a whole in my opinion. Some authors warn people not to even nibble a small piece to check for flavor peculiarities that help in IDing many, but even that is going to far. A match-head sized piece that is in turn spat out after a few nips at the front of the tongue, is more than enough to tell you what it is you want to know. And the information gained can be the clue that tells you for certain whether you've got a Shrimp Russula or an Emetic Russula long before you throw it in the pan. And believe me ... you'll want to know :-). In short, they're not THAT poisonous! Do a search on the term "mycophobia", a gift left to us by our Anglo forebearers.
...well thanks for the ID and recomendation. I'll try tasting and smelling next time im feeling inquisitive.
