LOCALadk Magazine

42 Fall 2015 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk Hapalopilus nidulans, or the "tender nesting polypore," appears as a small, annual, wood-rotting, shelf-like bracket on deciduous twigs and branches of birch and beech, and rarely on balsam fir. H. nidulans will dye a beautiful shade of purple on alum-mordanted wool, but the pH must be raised to eight or nine by adding ammonia when the mushroom is first cooking, or the color may not develop at all. There are several similar small bracket fungi that grow on wood, but a drop of ammonia on the cap will turn purple-red to confirm identification of the Halopilus nidulans. Only one or two baths may exhaust H. nidulans, but combining it with a later bath of Cortinarius semisanguineus and/or Hypomyces lactifluorum will produce interesting pinks. Cortinarius semisanguineus, or "red gilled cort," is an excellent source of red and orange pigments. It is mycorrhizal, with several conifers, which means the roots of the fungus and the roots of the tree form a symbiotic relationship where they trade nutrients back and forth for the survival of both. The red pig- ment is concentrated in the caps; the more mature the caps, the redder the pigment. Stems and young fruiting bodies contain orange pigments, so they are worth keeping and separating when drying. In a normal 1:1 ratio dye bath using alum-mordanted wool, the first bath will be the strongest red, the second bath will be a good orange and the third bath will be a lighter orange. There are several species related to C. semisanguineus in the subgenus Dermocybe that all have brightly colored gills of red, orange or yellow, so they have some pig- ments worth using for dyeing. Combining any of these Cortinarius with either Hapalopilus nidulans or Hypomyces lactifluorum will produce interesting shades of orange, pink, and coral with alum-mordanted wool. Hypomyces lactifluorum, or the "lobster mushroom," is a parasitic fungus that distorts the entire growth of the underside of the mushroom. Most people know it as a good edible when young and clean, easily recognized by the bright red-orange color similar to the color of cooked lobster as it erupts from the for- est floor. When old and rotting, the lobster mushroom has a strong fishy smell, and the outer red-orange "skin" can be peeled away to concentrate the pigment and reduce the bulk for drying and later dyeing. For the best coral color or or- ange –pink, the pH must be raised to eight or nine by adding ammonia while the mushroom is first cooking. The underneath mushroom, usually Russula brevipes , is mycorrhizal, so the "lobsters" will grow in the same place year after year, but some years more abundantly than others, depending on the weather. There are many species of tooth fungi or mushrooms, which have a spore-bear- ing underside of spines or tiny teeth instead of gills or pores. This group has an entirely different chemistry and growth habit. They are temperamental to work with but can produce teals, blue-greens, greens and grays in the dye pot. Most of them have a spongy or felt-like layer as part of their stem and/or cap, which allows them to retain moisture for a long time while the surrounding area dries out. The same fruiting body can take two to eight weeks to grow to ma- turity, depending on the weather. They are all mycorrhizal, many with conifers, so they will appear in the same place for many years. Hydnellum caeruleum, or "bluish tooth," is one of the best here in the Adirondacks for blue pigments when collected mature. Young H. caeruleum always has a bluish look to the out- er growing edge but will become brown with age, making identification difficult, especially in wet conditions. When cut in half lengthwise, young or old, the base of the stem will be orange, but the rest of the tough flesh will be alternating layers or "zones" of blue, white and orange. A ratio of 2:1 or higher of mature mushroom must be used, and raising the pH to eight or nine with ammonia on alum-mordanted wool produces the best blues and blue-greens.

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