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dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
Dusty McDusterson (He/Him) 🍄
@dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
2.3K followers 890 following 1.9K posts
I post🍄🌲🪴pics taken on my daily hikes w/ Winston
The forest is my happy place & helps regulate my PTSD
Lefty atheist 🖋️📸 mycophile INFJ
Former USAF weather forecaster turned enviro-scientist
MS in Geoscience
PNW=🏡
Real conversation w/ compassion
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dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
Dusty McDusterson (He/Him) 🍄 @dustymcdusterson.bsky.social · 4d
If anyone is looking for Old Coyote Nowhere, you can find their mailbox at the intersection of Big Creek Rd & Oregon Highway 101.

There was a young Humpback whale beached nearby on Big Creek Beach, just across the road, but I’m hopeful that incident is unrelated to the #Trickster Coyote. #LostFolk
An old mailbox with letters marked in designating it as the delivery location for Old Coyote Nowhere’s mail. The unfortunate juvenile humpback whale, not pictured, could be seen from the road and likely washed up during a full moon high tide based on how high up the beach it was. Based on decomposition I assume it was there for a minimum of a couple weeks but for all I know it has been there for months. I took pictures and a short video of the deceased whale but the scene was too gruesome to post. On reconsideration I wonder if Old Coyote maybe didn’t catch a ride from the whale and tricked it into beaching itself so that its paws didn’t get wet in the saltwater. Hopefully not the case, but who is to say…
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
Final shots from this weekend's visit to Twanoh State Park in Washington State.
#FungiFriends #Nature
A moody shot looking through the forest with a smattering of stark white mycena in focus on the live moss covered tree trunk of a Big Leaf maple. A large grouping of mycena dominates the side of this rotting log. A toothed fungus can barely be made out in the top left of this image, something I didn't note until going through the pictures after the hike. This bright red capped fungus really stood out. It honestly should be an easy ID but my brain is absolute mush and I'm in need of some real sleep in my own bed. Which will commence shortly after hitting post on this one. Another toothed fungus for my dyers friend!
November 10, 2025 at 4:34 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
I believe this is the beautifully #Poisonous shield dapperling, Lepiota clypeolaria also fittingly known as the Shaggy-stalked Lepiota.

Definitely want to avoid eating this furry creature, likely won't have a good time...
#FungiFriends
November 10, 2025 at 4:26 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
Funky, not so fresh finds!

I love finding Fluted Elfin Saddles being eaten by their nemesis, Hypomyces cervinigenus. At least the parasitizing fungus makes it easier to confirm proper focus with the added texture compared to their normal oddly shiny/smooth caps.
#FungiFriends #Nature #Fungi
November 10, 2025 at 4:17 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
Dyers Delight!!

I believe these are Hydnellum fuscoindicum, or the Violet Hedgehog.

Tooth fungus are some of my favorite to find, this was the first time I've found this species.
#TwanohStatePark #FungiFriends #NaturalDyes #Fungi
Super unassuming peeking out of the duff. They initially looked like they might be another species going bad. It isn't until I felt the firmness of their cap that I realized they were fresh. Another grouping of the same fungus species found nearby with one upended to display the tooth underside.
November 10, 2025 at 4:12 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
Corals galore!!!

#TwanohStatePark #FungiFriends
November 10, 2025 at 4:05 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
Beautiful cherry-red unknown #SlimeMold species and toothed #Fungi from the genus Deflexula, with a bonus blurry Winston!
#TwanohStatePark #Nature
Winston patiently waiting as I check out some cherry red slime mold. Slime mold did not have any perceivable stalks and the color is true to what I observed on site. A close-up of the same slime mold as seen in image 1. These teeth were super fun to find. Pretty confident they are fungus but haven't been able to ID them just yet. This log was just covered in life. The opening with a few mycena fungus poking their heads out had lots of slime mold stalks growing. Same log but a few inches away, more of the teeth dropping down out of the log.
November 10, 2025 at 4:03 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
First Jelly tooth fungus of the year! Pseudohydnum gelatinosum. Hoping to propogate this species as they made for some delicious candy last year and I'd love to grow them at home. But, #SporePrints are a real pain to collect for this one.

#TwanohStatePark Washington State. #FungiFriends #Nature
November 10, 2025 at 3:51 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
I'm definitely a sucker for #Guttation. Love me some Rosy Conk! (Rhodofomes cajanderi)

Found today in #TwanohStatePark Washington State.
#FungiFriends #Nature
An image of rosy conk growing at the end of a cut log. So much beautiful red guttation, I forgot to give it a taste...next time. Images 2 and 3 are closer shots of this same fungus. Image 2 is the right structure and 3 is the lower left. A closer image of the right side of the mushroom seen in image 1. A closer shot of the rosy conk in the bottom left of picture 1.
November 10, 2025 at 3:44 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
📸 1: Morning mist lingering in the trees
📸2: Young #BirdnestFungus found along the campsite borders.
📸3: Winston on the trail.
📸4: A lovely #PacificBananaSlug making it's way across a golden colored Bigleaf maple leaf.
#FungiFriends #Nature #TwanohStatePark
November 10, 2025 at 3:23 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
The final selection of photos from last night's visit to #TwanohStatePark -3.9ft #KingTide low tide. Next the daytime photos of mushies!

One thing I didn't mention in previous posts was how cool it was to hear, then see the salmon spawning up the stream that flows through the park. Worth a visit!!
Purple shore crab, Hemigrapsus nudus prior to burying itself in the sand. A hermit crab carrying around another hermit crab. A couple of Ochre Star Fish hanging out in the oyster beds. I haven't a clue what this thing was. It was found in 3-4 inches of water attached to a stone but it doesn't appear to be an anemone as it was underwater and not unfurled.
November 10, 2025 at 3:17 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
This massive starfish was mesmerizing while #DancingInTheMoonlight. Photos 👇

Found after midnight just below the -3.9ft #KingTide low tideline in 1-2 inches of water, near oyster beds with ample freshwater input. #TwanohStatePark #LowTide
November 10, 2025 at 3:09 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
A #Sculpin temporarily taking shelter under a #LeatherStar, Dermasterias imbricata, along the #HoodCanal shoreline.

Seen after midnight, last night just below the -3.9ft #KingTide low tideline in 1-3 inches of water, near oyster beds with ample freshwater input. #TwanohStatePark #LowTide
November 10, 2025 at 2:59 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
Video # 5 of #HermitCrabs dragging around smaller hermit crabs by their shell by the #HoodCanal shoreline.

Seen just after midnight, last night just below the -3.9ft #KingTide low tideline in 1-3 inches of water, near oyster beds with ample freshwater input. #TwanohStatePark #LowTide
November 10, 2025 at 2:51 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
Video # 4 of #HermitCrabs dragging around smaller hermit crabs by their shell by the #HoodCanal shoreline.

Seen just after midnight, last night just below the -3.9ft #KingTide low tideline in 1-3 inches of water, near oyster beds with ample freshwater input. #TwanohStatePark #LowTide
November 10, 2025 at 2:50 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
Video # 3 of #HermitCrabs dragging around smaller hermit crabs by their shell by the #HoodCanal shoreline.

Seen just after midnight, last night just below the -3.9ft #KingTide low tideline in 1-3 inches of water, near oyster beds with ample freshwater input. #TwanohStatePark #LowTide
November 10, 2025 at 2:49 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
Video # 2 of #HermitCrabs dragging around smaller hermit crabs by their shell by the #HoodCanal shoreline.

Seen just after midnight, last night just below the -3.9ft #KingTide low tideline in 1-3 inches of water, near oyster beds with ample freshwater input. #TwanohStatePark #LowTide
November 10, 2025 at 2:48 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
More video from last night's visit to the midnight #KingTide at #TwanohStatePark Washington. #LowTide

I spotted at least 5 different #HermitCrabs carrying around smaller hermit crabs by their shell. Apparently a reproduction practice, which somehow seems worse than them saving a snack for later.
November 10, 2025 at 2:29 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
Exploring the midnight #KingTide at #TwanohStatePark was fascinating.

One of my favorite sightings was watching this Purple Shore Crab, Hemigrapsus nudus, burying itself in the sand.
#LowTide #Crabs #Nature
November 10, 2025 at 2:20 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
A few Elfin Saddle observations, Paragyromitra ambigua but maybe P. infula. I wasn't able to check out any of their spores so can't say for sure what species they are, but I'm leaning toward the former.

I plucked the one in photo 3, see brief video below. The others were 2-3x that size.
📸🍄 🌱 #Fungi
November 7, 2025 at 12:09 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
If anyone is looking for Old Coyote Nowhere, you can find their mailbox at the intersection of Big Creek Rd & Oregon Highway 101.

There was a young Humpback whale beached nearby on Big Creek Beach, just across the road, but I’m hopeful that incident is unrelated to the #Trickster Coyote. #LostFolk
An old mailbox with letters marked in designating it as the delivery location for Old Coyote Nowhere’s mail. The unfortunate juvenile humpback whale, not pictured, could be seen from the road and likely washed up during a full moon high tide based on how high up the beach it was. Based on decomposition I assume it was there for a minimum of a couple weeks but for all I know it has been there for months. I took pictures and a short video of the deceased whale but the scene was too gruesome to post. On reconsideration I wonder if Old Coyote maybe didn’t catch a ride from the whale and tricked it into beaching itself so that its paws didn’t get wet in the saltwater. Hopefully not the case, but who is to say…
November 6, 2025 at 10:17 PM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
The #BlackOystercatcher were some of my favorite #Birds spotted during this week-long adventure along the central #Oregon coast.

They were kind enough to provide warning calls for a few of the sneaker waves that struck while later exploring the tide pools. #StayingDry #Nature #AngryOcean
November 3, 2025 at 12:34 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
☠️Trigger warning☠️

#Circle-of-life moment with a #BaldEagle feasting on an unknown seabird as 2 #crows look on, all while perched up on a beached tree along the #Oregon coast.

About 5 seconds in, a #CaliforniaSeaLion pops its head up as it hunts in the surf moving from left to right. #Nature
October 28, 2025 at 7:54 PM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
I spy, with my little eye, something yummy & yellow...hiding among a cluster of boletes in the Suillaceae family

This white #Fungi growing on a mossy log was a first for me

Best guesses are Stilbella byssiseda or Xylaria furcata, open to suggestions

Found in the #HohRainforest
#AltText 🌱 🍄📸
A couple of young Golden Pacific Chanterelle hide among some boletes with slimy caps I'm assuming family Suillaceae. Surrounded by mosses, wood sorrel and other vegetative ground cover. Obviously left in place as found in Olympic National Park. This potential Stilbella byssiseda or Xylaria furcata caught my eye right away. I didn't futz with it and this was the only angle I could get without disturbing it and it's friends too much. It looks to be guttating but it was raining fairly hard when we were visiting, shocking!! That a rainforest had rain! But it was a gnarly storm with heavier than typical rain.
October 27, 2025 at 4:58 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
Amanita muscaria!🍄

The last one might be a bonus A. gemmata, definitely not A. aprica, as it's the wrong season for them.

Found in & near the Hoh Rainforest, Washington State.
#Nature #Fungi #FungiFriends #AltText
A gorgeous candy apple red Amanita muscaria hiding out under some ferns had interesting patterning due to rainfall washing away the exposed portion's universal veil remnants, exposing the stunning red cap. A baby candy-apple red amanita muscaria found in the Hoh Rain Forest along the Hall of Mosses trail. Most of the veil has already washed off other than a few sticking points on the cap, leading to an interesting looking pattern. Note the little mycena in the back right looking on in jealousy. One of the more orange varieties of amanita muscaria I've seen. Love the variation in coloration seen in and out of the park. This was found outside the park. Possibly an Amanita gemmata although it was found in close proximity to more orange A. muscaria so I could be wrong and it might be a surprisingly yellow A. muscaria.
October 27, 2025 at 2:48 AM
dustymcdusterson.bsky.social
First Beach in La Push was epically beautiful this morning with lots of sea foam floating about in the high winds.

We stumbled on a sea lion hiding out in the logs at the high tide line.

#Beach #Nature
October 25, 2025 at 6:04 PM