Mycology Update

In this previous post, our Master Naturalist colleague Mark Bower discussed some new fungal species he had found.  Today he has an update with a lot more finds.

Mark Bowers report:

Here is an update on the fungal census I have been participating in over the past year.  DNA sequencing has dramatically  impacted the world of Mycology in recent years. Previously, fungi were classified based on their macroscopic and microscopic features, their reaction to certain reagents and stimuli, etc.  With the advent of DNA sequencing it has become apparent that previous methods were not adequate in many cases.  There are fungi that look virtually alike but turn out to be only distantly related.  There are others which which look entirely different but turnout to be closely related.  It is a new world in mycology. 

I have collected, photographed, dehydrated and submitted 903 specimens for DNA sequencing, 376 from Bull Creek and 527 from other sites listed below.  

Of the 270 specimens have been evaluated so far 10 have unique DNA sequences and are considered new species which I have discovered.  They have been given provisional names and I will have legal naming rights in time.  Of these new species, 9 are from Bull Creek and one is from another site.  

There are 84 other mushrooms which have been determined to be new species but their DNA matches others which have previously been found by others.  Of these, 52 were found on Bull Creek and 32 on the other sites.  This is a small sample size but it appears that there is something unique about that relatively small Bull Creek area.

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Sites other than Bull Creek include:

• Valley Water Mill
• Fellows Lake
• Bryant Creek state Park 
• Busiek State Park 
• Little Sac River Conservation Area
• Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
• Creve Coeur
• Current River area
• Bennett Springs
• Compton Hollow Conservation area
• Private property of Elise Bowsher 

Update August 25, 2025

The Missouri Mycological Society reports that currently 2,500 specimens have been send for sequencing state wide, with 903 from Mark Bower.  There were 200 unique species with 95 of those from Mark. 

 Megarhyssa

 This fearsome creature was bravely photographed by Chris Barnhart.  It is Megarhyssa macrurus, also known as the long-tailed giant ichneumonid wasp.  They have the longest ovipositor of any insect.  It is deadly....if you happen to be a Pigeon Horntail Tremex, Tremex columba.  Otherwise you have nothing to fear.

Pigeon Horntail-Wikipedia

The Pigeon Horntail  female, bores tunnels into decaying wood.  She uses her ovipositor to deposit two to seven eggs into dead and dying deciduous trees like elm, maple and oak.  The larvae burrow inside and feed on the rotting wood while the female dies.

Meanwhile Wikipedia says "female Megarhyssa macrurus is able to detect these larvae through the bark; they paralyse them and lay their eggs on the living but paralysed larva; within a couple of weeks the Megarhyssa larvae will have consumed their host and pupate, emerging as an adult the following summer."  

This just proves that many species that look dangerous are actually harmless.  That said kiddies, "don't pick up unknown insects with your hands, just like your mommy told you!"

For a deeper dive, check out this link.

Oak Leaf Itch Mite

 

Several days ago I noticed some itching red bumps below my waistline. The itching was mild and only a couple of them developed a white head in the center. Then the next day, this story came out in the NewsLeader.

These are the bites of an Oak Leaf Itch Mite, aka. Pyemotes herfsi.  It has a complex story and we are not their intended prey. They are thought to have originated in Europe, has been recorded from Australia, India, Egypt, Chile and most recently, the United States. According to the Penn State Extension story:

"The first recognition of this mite in the U. S. occurred in Kansas in the autumn of 2004 where it was estimated to have affected around 19,000 people. Since then it has been reported from Illinois, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas and in 2007, Pennsylvania (Lancaster County)."

These mites feed on many different insects but when running short, they come after us. One of their common victims they feed on are periodical cicada egg nests and this is cicada season as we can hear out in our back yard. The mites proliferate when the cicadas emerge.

Pyemotes herfsi - Pest and Diseases Image Library, Bugwood.org

Then News-Leader has this gallery of cicada photos.  The mite seen above is virtually invisible to us, measuring 0.2 mm long. More from the News-Leader:

"The species commonly feeds on the larvae of midges or flies that form galls, or growths that develop on plants as a reaction to insects and mites feeding on them, on the edges of pin oak leaves. Once their development is complete, they drop from the tree and can land on (and bite) humans and animals. "

If you start feeling the itch and seeing the bumps, "don't do anything rash."(Sorry about that. ) Aside from the possibility of a secondary infection from scratching, the rash will diminish with time and the cicada season will be over soon.

Life and Death at a Mountain Lake

Master Naturalist roving correspondent - Becky Swearingen)

Every visit I make to Rocky Mountain National Park includes several visits to Lily Lake. This high mountain lake (8931 feet)  has a trail around it that is slightly less than a mile long. Something interesting happens almost every time I visit it. I’ve seen moose, elk, long-tailed weasels, snakes and numerous species of ducks and birds. 

One interesting aspect of this lake is that there is a population of Western Tiger Salamanders (aka Barred Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium) that live there.  The interesting thing about these salamanders is that they stay in the paedomorphic stage for their entire lives. That means that they stay in the water and have external gills. 

As with many of the park's fauna, they are being impacted by climate change.  One study done in Yellowstone suggests that as we  get higher temperatures it will cause a rise in the temperature of these high-altitude lakes which will cause the paedomorphic salamander to mature into fully adult Tiger Salamanders and that we may begin to see these adults out of the water in the future years.

For now, though, I always look for these fairly large creatures (up to 14 inches) in the water. Last summer, I got more than I expected when walking the trails. At the water’s edge was a Common Garter Snake that was attempting to swallow a paedomorphic Tiger Salamander. I watched for about 10 minutes and from what I could see no progress was being made swallowing it.  You can see the video at this link.

Above is a picture of a Red Speckled Dun.  While the Tiger Salamander is known for being a voracious predator, it was interesting to see that it is not without its own predator.

"OK,, now what??

Meanwhile this Garter Snake is left deciding what to do next.  Give up or risk a bad case of constipation!

Fritillary Feast at Caterpillar Cafe

 

We are fostering this family of Great Spangled Fritillaries courtesy of Chris and Deb Barnhart.  They are gorging on violets which Barb protected in our rain garden. Barb has also planted 90 species of native plants in our suburban yard. The violets below have now have spread out into the lawn, bringing color as well as food for these cats. You can watch them feast at this Youtube link.

They will soon be graduating to chrysalis stage and then emerge for a debut at the Roston Butterfly House at Close Memorial Park in Springfield Missouri.

More about these fritillaries is at this MDC Link.

This is just one more benefit of planting native species around your home. Barb's 90+ species of native plants on our 1/4 acre lot in Springfield are in the middle of a neighborhood with closely manicured lawns and typical shrubs and plantings. Somehow a variety of species have arrived including skinks, voles, lizards, and chipmunks as well as lots of pollinator species of butterflies and many species of birds. Besides the benefit to wildlife it also bring us pleasure watching them.

Cedar Apple Rust Revisited

I have always been interested in plant galls and wrote about the cedar apple rust gall in this blog in 2010.   Checking our the cedar tree by our garage I found this years crop of galls and picked a few.  It had been dry for weeks and yesterday's rain hadn't changed the galls.  I picked a few and photographed them before and after a 30 minute soak in a pan of water rejuvenated the fungus which literally said....."Thanks, I needed that!"

Here is the before and after their little dip in the water.

Now if that raised your curiosity about cedar apple rust galls, check out this blog from 2010 and more at this MDC Discover Nature page.  Even more on rusts in this video.

Garage Floor Life

 Life under a country floor.

An opening under the wooden floor of our garage at Bull Creek has proven to be attractive to wildlife.  After seeing a squirrel crawl under it, I set up a game camera and over several weeks collected a cross-section of wildlife which you can see at this link.  Over several weeks it caught squirrels, a wood rat, box turtle, rabbit, armadillo, and a timber rattlesnake! 

First, can you spot the red-shouldered hawk in this picture?  Hint, click to enlarge.

 

 

 Now focusing down on the floor, try to find the timber rattlesnake.  You can see the rattles at its tail.

Again, you can see all of them  at this Flicker link.  

Life just wants to be; but it doesn't want to be much.”

― Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything