Featured Mushroom #2: Boletus frostii

Common Name: "Frost's Bolete"

I photographed this Frost's Bolete in Arlington's Great Meadows, located in Lexington, MA in September, 2003. It was on a leaf littered slope that led down to a small pond/vernal pool. Normally, autumn leaves would camouflage the bright red cap but in this case the leaves were 2002's leaves and had previously been covered with mud.

The often tacky, brilliant red cap is a key identifier. As is the raised, yellowish webbed ridge that criss-crosses over the stem. You can get a better look at it here. Like many boletes, you can press your fingers against part of the mushroom (cap, underside of cap, stem, flesh) to see if it "bruises" a certain color. Much of a Frost's Bolete will bruise blue... at varying speeds. You can see some great photos including bruising here at morelmushroomhunting.com.

Additional info and photos are here at the Mushroom Expert website. You can generally find these spectacular mushrooms in New England from late June through early October.