I’ve learned such a tremendous amount this year about mushrooms. It seems hard to believe that I waited until this year without really looking at a mushroom in the forest. I’ve pretty much hung up my baskets for the season. The leaves are falling and it’s hard to see what’s happening on the forest floor, and the hunters are out in the woods shooting things. I was really hoping to pick some shaggy mane mushrooms this year but I guess they’ll have to wait.
Shaggy manes, or Coprinus comatus, are apparently quite common. They’re also known, especially in Britain, as the lawyer’s wig mushroom. They like to grow on lawns. So, what’s the big deal? I’ve picked all kinds of mushrooms this season. What’s one more? Well, this mushroom has a very special characteristic. I didn’t realize it when I first heard about them. I was told they don’t last long, and that when you pick them you have to cook them up quickly. Shaggy manes exemplify deliquescence. Isn’t that a great word? For mushrooms it means to become liquid on maturing. You see, the shaggy mane actually digests itself, turning from a firm (and apparently tasty) mushroom to a puddle of black ink. This ink can be used for writing or drawing with nibs by the way, it is that intense.
The shaggy mane is the most common of the so-called ink cap mushrooms. Another interesting one is Coprinopsis atramentaria. This is a tasty edible as long as it is not consumed with alcohol. If you drink alcohol then eat this mushroom, you will get sick. Hence its nickname, Tippler’s Bane. This mushroom creates an acute sensitivity to alcohol, much like Disulfiram, or Antabuse, a drug used to treat alcoholism.
By the way, my brother the trout, Salvelinas Fontinalis, has a shaggy mane spot on some guy’s lawn, 20 minutes from his house. He reports that they are delicious in soup.
27th Street 
I live in Ohio and a cousin gave my husband and I some mushrooms. He is out of town and I am leary to eat them without knowing what type of mushroom they are and that they are safe. What mushrooms are in season now in Ohio? They are brown and white-ish and kind of have smooth edged fillanges. I hope that makes sense. Thankis.
Hi Janet,
There is no way I can identify that mushroom for you from a vague description. Some mushrooms are difficult to identify even when you have them in your hands. Please DO NOT EAT ANY WILD MUSHROOM YOU CANNOT IDENTIFY WITH 100% ACCURACY. SOME MUSHROOMS ARE VERY POISONOUS AND CAN KILL YOU. If you want to learn to identify mushrooms in the Ohio area, try to find out if there is a mycological society in the area, or ask your local bookstore for a field guide to fungi in your area. I recommend learning with an experienced mushroom hunter. Please be careful!
It’s been a good season. Ours will be a little longer here.
I’ve really enjoyed your mushroom posts. It encouraged me to get out there and find those tasty edibles and learn about the poisonous ones.
Were you thinking about using the ink from the shaggy mane?
I don’t know SP…I thought perhaps it would be fun to do drawings of mushrooms using mushroom ink.
Yes they are, Gardenia. For years I hardly noticed them in our forests, or at least simply thought they were curiosities.
I see why you are kind of hooked on mushrooms – they are fascinating, really, aren’t they?
Mushrooms are magic!!!!
I know I’ve really enjoyed reading all your mushroom posts and you’ve inspired me to get out there looking for them myself! Thank you!