Mushrooms of the SF Bay Area Article link

Planet Fungi
Journey into the Kingdom of Mushrooms

https://baynature.org/articles/planet-fungi/

Excerpt of article sample:
As a rule of thumb, some mushroom species prefer certain habitats and plant communities. Chanterelles, amanitas, russulas, and boletes occur under coast live oaks and also with other oak species in the wilder parks farther east. Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) can be found on streamside alders and big-leaf maples. In Redwood Regional Park, the redwood rooter (Caulorhiza umbonata), named for its long “taproot” (which is not really a root), is associated with the giant conifers, as are some agarics and waxy caps. Even planted, nonnative Monterey pines and Monterey cypresses have their fungal sidekicks: slippery jacks (Suillus) with pines, blewits (Clitocybe nuda) with cypresses. Russo says there’s more variety on the east side of the Berkeley-Oakland hills than on the west. Those are general patterns; there are always surprises.

Hi Robert, Last spring we had an unusual surprise; under our very old ash tree were mushrooms. I sought the expertise of a friend who had studied bolete in Minnesota and learned these were eatable. A question I've had since is: would this be a result of the die back in the old ash and if not , why now? Also are there any backyard creatures who would use the mushrooms as food?

Thanks, Norma

Hi Norma
I'll check with my son Garrett who has studied mushrooms for many years.  I expect him here this evening.  Here's a link to his Facebook feed: https://www.facebook.com/AlleghenyWoodratMushroomers
I'll let you know what he says.
Bob T.

After searching just now I found this interesting blog.  Someone mentioned killing the trees but I wouldn't do that.  Ash have enough trouble surviving these days.
http://gaiagarden.blogspot.com/2009/08/oh-what-tangled-web.html

From this blog:
The first book I checked left me feeling inadequate, so I moved on to A Guide to Kansas Mushrooms. Success! What I had were ash tree boletes, aka Boletinellus merulioides. Not only were these mushrooms not poisonous, they are actually supposed to be edible (with the small caveat that they taste rather like dirt). They are found under ash trees, as their name suggests. Coincidentally, the two trees shading our courtyard are green ash. It all seemed very straightforward.

The blog post has mentioned that this bolete connection is to the honey dew produced by aphids. My son has confirmed that when I asked him about them. His comments were very much the same as what was printed in the blog and that they are very common around ash and some maples. They shouldn't present a problem to the health of the tree. He said that he hasn't had any desire to eat that bolete. He said that when first dried and then prepared later they are supposed to have a walnut like taste. He mentioned that all wild mushrooms should be cooked. (He cooks all mushrooms, wild or not.) Of course, one should be 100% certain of the identification of any mushroom intended for food consumption.

Good advice here:
FYI https://www.shroomery.org/8458/Are-all-mushrooms-that-bruise-blue-safe-to-eat
No. Many active mushrooms bruise blue. But not all of them do. (Observation - the color often will fade away very fast)
Many boletes also bruise blue. Many blue bruising boletes are poisonous, causing gastrointestinal distress.
There have also been poisonings due to people mistaking a darkening of a bruised mushroom with blueing. One young man in the San Francisco area was poisoned twice by Galerina species in this way (fortunately, he survived).
Some psychadelic mushroom also turn blue. Besides being potentially lethal, possession of them is against the law. It's best to collect only those that you know to be safe.
https://www.shroomery.org/8773/Magic-Mushroom-Field-Guide

Double misfortune.Break the law and die as well!Tsk tsk.Psilocybin(?),it is late and you know what i mean anyway,is being studied in some medical circles as a intervention technique for clinical depression.Some good evidence piling up.So not all dreary on that front.Thanks.

There are old mushroom hunters and bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old, bold, mushroom hunters.