We officially kicked off the scheduled walk season with a walk in Central Park. We began that walk, as we always do, at the corner of Amsterdam Ave. and Gary Lincoff Way to pay tribute to Gary, who was the guiding spirit of the NYMS for nearly five decades, who contributed immensely to the understanding and appreciation of mushrooms and their role in our ecosystems, and who wrote the classic Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms.
Very very dry. Bone dry. A hot and muggy day after a week with one drenching, but brief rain storm. There was a lot of wind earlier in the week as well. Not much to find in Central Park last Sunday, but Soren Malpass found something very intriguing on a twig in the Ravine. I consulted with Jason Karakehian who suggested Pezicula ocellata. Unfortunately, the collection is not yet mature, so there are no spores or asci to confirm that theory. So it must be sequenced.
*=new to park **=new to city