I e-mailed the NIFG, and about these fungi, and they came back with the following reponse. Thanks to David Mitchel for this advice.
It is always difficult identifying fungi from photos as so many of the characters are microscopic (spore size, colour etc). The top one is a bolete in the Xerocomus group but more than that cannot be said from a photo (this is a good example of a group where spore size is critical). Underneath, there will be pores (holes) rather than gills. The second one is very difficult to say. My hunch is that it is an Inocybe which if you take a spore print has brown spores. But again, more than that cannot be said from a photo. Sorry not to be able to say more than this.
NIFG
I was doing a bit of research on these, and my guess would have been a bolete for the top photo as well. The boletes I see most often are apparently Boletus pinophilus, one of the edible species. The boletes are quite distinctive because they don't have gills. They almost always have nibbles taken out of the cap when I see them!
The thing to remember about mushrooms is don't eat anything that has not been positively identified by a real expert!
Kingfisher
The thing to remember about mushrooms is don't eat anything that has not been positively identified by a real expert!
Kingfisher
That's very good advice! You wouldn't want to take your chances with a mushroom unless you were absolutely sure it was safe. As David Mitchel said, you need to know things like spore size which are not always easy to find.
Yes, and we can't afford to lose any of our members here, either
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Having said that, one of the highlights of the holiday in British Columbia was the harvesting of wild morels. We felt quite safe in doing this because we did, in fact, have a mushroom expert with us.
Kingfisher
Well you lost me on the first sentence..... but I know a Fly Agaric when I see one .... any help???? hee hee!!
Don't eat Fly Agarics! They are not good for one's health at all
. I'd avoid anything called a 'Death Angel' too.
Kingfisher
I personally would never eat wild mushrooms unless they were from a shop or on a restaurant menu. As the conversations say above, you would need a real expert that knows what they are talking about. I am interested to know what a 'death angel ' looks like. The only other one I know by sight is 'Stinky Inkcap', that's not edible either. Fly agarics are pretty to look at though.
Fly Agarics are related to the Death Angels (which I think may be found only in North America). Here's a link to the Death Angels:
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/sept97.html
The veil is not always to be found, but to us here in the US, it means 'DON"T EAT THIS MUSHROOM".
Kingfisher
After looking at the link Kingfisher it is no wonder that fungi has that mystical type aura link to dark woods witches etc
