So, if you are like me and many other mushroomers, you probably have a few artist shelf (Gandoderma applanatum) mushrooms laying around your house for decoration.  And perhaps, you may find that over the course of the year some strange prehistoric looking beetles wondering your house.  I didn't put the two things together right away until after I noticed the holes in the pore surface of my shelf mushrooms.  With a quick note and photo sent off to Phil Peliterri at the UW, I had the bug;'s identity....the Forked Fungus Beetle (Bolitotherus cornutus).

 The male of this species has two horns on its head and both sexes have a very bumpy surfaced, black body.  The larvae and beetles live particularly in G. applanatum and can spend up to 9 years inhabiting one mushroom until it is honeycombed with tunnels.  Check out this description of the bugs from UW Milwaukee's website.

Below are photos from club member Cynthia Krakowski who had a similar bug experience last fall with her artist shelf:)

So far, we have been receiving pletiful rains this spring in northern Wisconsin.  There have been numerous Gyromitra eculenta popping up in my woods, but surprisingly not much else.  I think on the first warm day, the oysters will start fruiting.  In fact, I can smell their tell-tale scent in the air.  Morel season is still in full swing in the southern part of the state and, if you are lucky enough to have a 'spot' in northern WI, they are starting to fruit here as well.

This is a great time of year to start growing your own mushrooms for eating, and there are many resources out there for purchasing spawn.  Our favorite is Field and Forest out of Peshtigo.  Recently, Kemp Natural Resources Station held a session on growing shitakes.  Club member Joel Vetter attended and shared some photos of the innoculation process (see below).  Shitakes take a little longer to get established, so if you are looking for more immediate fruits for your labor, you may want to try oysters or winecap stropharia.  There are lots of other species of fungi that can be grown as well, so be sure to check out the Field and Forest website.