Coprinus

Judy says this may be: "Coprinus niveus (white as snow) group as they loose those white scales quickly as yours does"

Posted by Elmer 11/18/12 - - - - - -Scroll Down to See Discussion

Elmer: A Coprinus -- but how to find the species
Sava:

Michael Kuo says (http://www.mushroomexpert.com/coprinoid.html): Identification of inky caps ranges from fairly easy (Coprinus comatus and Coprinopsis atramentaria, for example, are common and widely known) to extremely difficult, especially when it comes to the tiny ones. Simply getting some inky caps home to study can be a challenge, since many are so ephemeral that they appear, liquefy, and turn into black goo within a matter of hours. Identification of these short-lived mushrooms (did I mention that they all look pretty much the same?) hinges on microscopic examination of various erudite features, and is an enterprise best left to folks who enjoy such endeavors.

Judy: Sava says it all! and how! These really are a challenge.
But this same looks close to the Coprinus niveus group (white as snow) group
as they loose those white scales quickly as yours does,
but scope work is important, and there aren’t too many printed keys to them.
I have some early work from Fred Van de Bogart,
from UW in the ‘70’s as it was his Ph.D. thesis work and he was in Dr. Stuntz lab.

Sava: Thanks, Judy, but the words are not mine.
I quoted M. Kuo. He a professor of English and it shows.