Bright yellow, red, orange, and even green waxy cap mushrooms (Hygrocybe sp.) are hard to miss on an otherwise brown winter forest floor. As their name suggests, these mushrooms can be distinguished not only by their bright colors, but by the unique, waxy texture of their gills; they literally feel like soft candle wax in your hand! Many species of waxy caps have also distinctive odors, which can be anything from pungent and foul, to sickly sweet. Some even smell like almonds!
The ecology of waxy cap mushrooms is variable and poorly understood. Many of these mushrooms were assumed to be saprophytic (decomposers), but recent studies have shown that they have isotope ratios that are much closer to those of living plants. This means that they are likely getting their energy from living plants, possibly via a mycorrhizal relationship with a plant’s roots. Mycologists have suggested that these mushrooms may actually form mycorrhizal relationships with mosses and even cyanobacteria.
In the Bay Area, these mushrooms can mostly be found in the leaf litter and mosses on redwood forest floors. Going on an ecologically sensitive treasure hunt for these mushrooms is a great way to find some color in nature before the wildflower season rolls around!
