Dye Project: Bolete with Titanium Oxalate

For my second mushroom dyeing project, I again decided to use the Boletus edulis that had popped up under the oak tree in our yard after fall and winter rains, and to recycle another cotton dish towel in my stash. The dish towel had been mordanted with alum, and I planned to use titanium oxalate as a mordant additive for this dye experiment.

A colony of Boletus edulis under the oak tree

Greenish-yellow mushroom underside (click on the picture to see the pores)

The dye color for B. edulis comes from the mushroom cap underside, which is very spongy. I separated the spongy underside to harvest the dye material. The color is greenish-yellow.

Extract the Dye

For this project, I had previously extracted the dye, and divided it for three different projects (with the plan to use alum, titanium oxalate, and ferrous sulfate as three separate mordant additives). For information about extracting the dye, see Dye Project: Bolete with Alum, the "Extract the Dye" section. Note that by this time, a film of mold had started to grow on the surface of the dye liquid, but I just skimmed it off. The pH of the liquid still registered 3 (moderately acid).

Dye the Fabric

Dye the fabric with the mushroom dye liquid. For this experiment, I recycled a cotton dish towel that had been mordanted with alum and then solar-dyed with Pittosporum capsules, which had produced a pale yellow (see Dye Project: Pittosporum). I used a third of the dye and added titanium oxalate as a mordant additive, saving the rest of the dye extract for one more future experiment.

Titanium produces a distinct palette (for example it gives a bright orange when combined with tannin). Some Boletus spp., including Boletus edulis, contain tannins among their bioactive compounds. More on titanium oxalate.

Boletus dye pot with titanium oxalate additive

Place the extracted mushroom dye in a dye pot and stir in 1/2 tsp titanium oxalate (.49 ounce) as an additive (7-10% WOF). I tested the pH of the liquid, which now registered 2 (strongly acid). Meanwhile, place the dish towel in clear water to soak for 20-30 minutes, to enable the fibers to soak up the dye.

Heat the mushroom dye to 185 °F (this takes about an hour to reach the temperature). Squeeze out the wet towel, and place it in the dye. Simmer for one hour, maintaining the temperature at 185°. Add water periodically to keep the fabric covered with dye extract.

Steep the cotton fabric overnight

Turn off the heat and let the fabric steep in the dye overnight. The next day, squeeze out excess dye, rinse the fabric, and then run it through the washing machine (cold water only), and hang to dry.

Full disclosure: I wasn't thinking, and actually added a mild textile soap [like Synthropol or Professional Textile Detergent (a.k.a., Dharma Dyer's Detergent)] to the rinse, and then dried the towel in the dryer (I usually just rinse and hang to dry, and then wash in mild detergent two weeks later, giving the dye time to set). It seemed to work OK, but was not my usual process.

Squeeze out excess dye and rinse thoroughly

The resulting color was an orangey-brown when wet, but it dried to a lighter shade. The photo really doesn't capture the actual color. Once again I wondered if the mushroom dye actually dyed the fabric at all, or did it simply cause a slight over-dye reaction with the previous Pittosporum capsule dye? It will be interesting to see the outcome of the future experiment planned, using iron.

The resulting color is a pale orangey-brown

 

Mushroom Hunter: Elias Magnus Fries

I first learned about mushroom hunter, Elias Magnus Fries (1794 -1878), from the writings of mycologist Dr. Susan D Libonati-Barnes in Mushrooms for Color. She described Fries as the Carl Linnaeus of mycology, and one of the founders of modern mushroom taxonomy. Before his early work in 1821, no reasonable order had been brought to fungi. Fries introduced a system that was very well organized, and based on features visible with the naked eye. Even though modern techniques are now being used to classify fungus, including microscopic and DNA techniques, his system is still used.

Fries was born in Femsjö, Sweden in 1794. He received botanical education from his father, who was a pastor and interested in natural history and flowering plants. Fries attended school in Växjö, and later received his Ph.D. from the University of Lund in 1814. He was appointed as a science lecturer at Lund, and began collecting and describing known species for his three-volume Systema Mycologicum (1821-32). He also developed a new system for classifying fungi and lichens, based on characteristics of the fruiting bodies. He used spore color and arrangement of the hymenophores (pores, gills, teeth, and so forth) as major taxonomic characteristics. Fries presented this system in Lichenographia Europaea Reformata (1831. 

Elias Magnus Fries (photo in the public domain in the U.S.)

Fries accepted a professorship at the University of Uppsala, and taught from 1834 - 1859. He was appointed Professor of Applied Economics in 1834, and became the Professor of Botany and Practical Economy in 1851. He retired from teaching in 1859 but continued to study fungi until his death in 1878. He was a prolific author of new fungal species and described 3210 of them during his career.

Fries in his sixties (photo by Henri Osti - public domain in the U.S.)

Fries and Christina Wieslander (1808 - 1862) raised nine children together. Many of them and their descendants went on to become botanists, lichenologists, researchers, head gardeners, and a physician with a strong interest in mycology. He left a multi-generation botanical legacy.

Learn More

• Backlund, Anders (3 February 2006). "The Fries Family of Botanists". Uppsala University. See: https://web.archive.org/web/20071209081753/http://www.systbot.uu.se/information/history/fries.htm. 

• "Elias Fries, Swedish Botanist". Britannica website. Provides a brief biography of Fries' works. See: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elias-Fries.

• "Elias Magnus Fries". Wikipedia website. Provides a brief biography of Fries and a summary of publications and references. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elias_Magnus_Fries.

• "Elias Magnus Fries (1794 - 1878) - a brief biography". First Nature website. Provides an overview of Fries' works and publications. See: https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/~biog-fries.php.

• Eriksson, Gunnar (2018). "Fries, Elias Magnus". Encyclopedia website. Provides a biography of Fries' life and works, with more details than other internet articles. See: https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/science-and-technology/botany-biographies/elias-magnus-fries.

• Fries, Elias Magnus (Lund, 1831). Lichenographia Europaea Reformata. Survey of known lichens of Europe and information about their distribution. For the curious, see: https://archive.org/details/lichenographiaeu00frie/page/n3/mode/2up.

• Fries, Elias Magnus (Lund, 1821). Systema Mycologicum (three volumes), by (1821). Survey of known fungi and a new system for classifying them. The original is in Latin, but Volume 1 is available in English at: https://www.amazon.com/Systema-Mycologicum-Latin-Elias-Magnus/dp/1022345052 

• Rice, Miriam and Beebee, Dorothy 1980. Mushrooms for Color. Mad River Press, Inc. Eureka, CA. See the chapter "Identifying and Classifying Mushrooms for Color" by Dr. S. D. Libonati-Barnes, for references to Fries (primarily pages 60 - 62).

Field Notes for April 2026

 Welcome back to Field Notes!

April 1, 2026

This Douglas iris pops up in the new landscape every year about this time. The delicate purples and yellows are perfect for its dainty presence. The iris is native to Northern and Central California and Southern Oregon. Its name sake is botanist David Douglas (1799-1834); see Plant Hunter: David Douglas.

Douglas iris (Iris douglasiana)

April 3, 2026

Easter Bunnies on a Grand Scale. I encountered these giant plaster bunnies on my morning walk. There are quite a few of them on a residential property, and they range in size from 8-10 feet at the base. I would love to know the back story on this permanent art installation, but for now, I just enjoy seeing it during the Easter season and throughout the year.

Plaster Easter Bunnies - art installation

April 6, 2026

View of Oakland from the Hills. I love a good view and this one is of Oakland and the East Bay area, as seen from the Oakland hills.

 

View of Oakland from the hills

April 9, 2026

OTHG Hike to Valle Vista. Mari, Gaymond, and I recently joined the Over-the-Hills Gang hike at Valle Vista, by the Upper San Leandro Reservoir and near Moraga, California. We had a good turnout of about 40 hikers, all 55+ and all eager to explore the area (new to many of us). Anthony Fisher was our hike leader.

Valle Vista is part of the East Bay Watershed, so hiking permits are required. Watershed trail permits can be obtained at https://www.ebmud.com/recreation. Several members of our group hold group leader permits, so we did not need individual permits for the hike.

Heading to the Reservoir from the parking lot

Upper San Leandro Reservoir

Our route (within the yellow circle)

Our group followed a loop of three trails: Ritchie Loop Trail (2 on the map), Rocky Ridge Trail (4), and then the Rimer Creek Trail (3). Expand the map above to see the route circled in yellow, and the additional routes available. The loop took us from the Valle Vista Staging Areas, across Moraga Creek, down to the San Leandro Reservoir, high up on the hills for spectacular views, down by a Moraga residential area, and then back up through the redwoods to the staging area. The hills were arduous at times, but everyone just took them at their own pace. Walking sticks and good conversation helped as well. We had our cookie break later than usual, but in a wonderfully shady area in the trees.

Crossing Moraga Creek (photo from Mari)

Heading for the hills (Rocky Ridge Trail)

Mari, Gaymond, and I finished the hike with Bento boxes and great conversation at Sushi Fighter in Moraga. Check the East Bay Regional Park District website to learn more about upcoming events, and join a wonderful group of 55+ hikers (bring a friend or come solo).

Lemon and ginger cookie break in the shade (Rimer Creek Trail)

Intrepid hikers at Upper San Leandro Reservoir (photo by Gaymond) 

April 11, 2026

Flora and Fauna at Valle Vista. While at Valle Vista, we saw lots of raptors hunting on the wing, ducks and geese gathering by the lake, and song birds flitting among the vegetation. We also saw a herd of horses grazing on the green hills near Rimer Creek Trail (2 on the map above). What a great spot for them - lots to eat, room to roam, and shady forest to beat the heat.

Horses grazing on the hillside (Rimer Creek Trail)

April 15, 2026

Cooking with Mushrooms. I purchased King Trumpet mushrooms from the grocery store, and used them to make a delicious omelet (six eggs, six ounces of sautéed mushrooms, and a mix of Asiago, Parmesan, and Swiss cheese). Yum! King Trumpets are in the oyster mushroom family; grow together in gregarious clumps; and have a tiny button cap with a large trumpet-shaped stem. The gills are decurrent, meaning they run down the top of the thick stem (see Mushroom Parts and Types to learn more about basic mushroom cap undersides). These King Trumpets were cultivated by the Far West Fungi company in Moss Landing, CA. 

King Trumpet Mushrooms (Pleurotus eryngii)

April 18, 2026

Bobo Chronicles: the Perpetual Water Station. Bobo the Husky and I recently discovered this perpetual water station on one of our neighborhood walks. The water station is always filled, and usually very clean, unless plants have dropped seeds or leaves. Bobo always likes to stop and take a deep drink of water.

Perpetual water station

I was very intrigued, and found this DIY version online, using a 10-gallon storage container and parts from a toilet fill valve to achieve the perpetual water level. Brilliant!

April 22, 2026

Lichen Fermentation. Remember the Lace Lichen I harvested in Mendocino last month? I am now fermenting it in preparation for a dyeing project this summer. Fermentation extracts the color pigment from the lichen over a 3-16 week period (you can also use the familiar heat extraction method instead). The basic steps for the fermentation method:

1. Prepare Vat: Place dried, crumbled lichen in a jar, filling it roughly half-full.
2. Add Liquid: Cover lichen with a 50/50 mixture of water and household ammonia.
3. Ferment: Seal the jar and store in a warm place for 3–16 weeks.
4. Aerate: Shake the jar daily and open weekly to introduce oxygen, which is essential for color development.

Lace Lichen fermenting in ammonia and water

Agitate the jar once daily, and aerate once weekly

I see tinges of red, but so far this looks like brown dye

April 26, 2026

Sweet Bouquet from the Garden. Many of the early spring bloomers are winding down in the garden, but more buds are forming fast. I'll enjoy this thin bouquet until the new buds burst into flower.

A few flowers for the kitchen window

April 30, 2026

Landscape Maintenance.  Time for spring maintenance, and to enjoy the flowers as they emerge! April has been cool and rainy most of the time, but I've still been inspired to work in the garden. It is such a pleasure to get outside to weed, see what is new, and watch plants go through their spring cycles. The birds must be nesting, because I fill the bird feeder once a day now, and the hummingbird feeder every other day.

🗷 Weed the garden paths and beds (ongoing task). Get them while they are small and easy to pull! Note: I discovered a big crop of dandelion-type weeds in the lower yard. They were huge! It was so satisfying to pull them out by the roots.

🗷 Clean up pittosporum berries and spent camelia flowers in the side yard. Note: both are finally tapering off, but a good sweep is still needed every couple of weeks.

🗷 Cut back invasive ivy from the street, and remove invasive French Broom from the curb. Note: the ivy grows so fast this time of year. It is a lovely shade of green and so fresh looking, but it will overrun the property if I don't keep working away at it!

🗷 Collect flowers and branches for spring arrangements. Note: I leave most of the flowers out in the yard to enjoy from every window in the house. But a few flowers in the bathroom or on the kitchen window bring cheer to the day!

Dye Project: Bolete with Alum

For my first mushroom dyeing project, I decided to use the Boletus edulis that popped up in great quantity under the oak tree in our yard, after the fall and winter rains. The mushrooms had already started to deteriorate by the time I harvested them, but, according to my research, this can actually produce more dye color.

I decided to recycle three of the cotton dish towels in my stash, and overdye them with the mushroom dye. The dish towels had been mordanted with alum. Mushroom dyes typically work better with protein-based fibers than plant-based fibers, but I was curious to try dyeing with cotton for myself. I also decided to use a different mordant additive for each of the three dish towels—alum, titanium oxide, and ferrous sulfate—in three separate dye experiments.

Boletus edulis later in its life cycle

The Boletus mushroom cap underside consists of densely packed pores

The dye color for B. edulis comes from the mushroom cap underside, which is very spongy. I separated the spongy cap underside to harvest the dye material. The color is greenish-yellow.

Spongy mushroom cap undersides

Extract the Dye

The first step is to extract the dye from the mushroom pieces, using the heat extraction method that I've used for many other dye projects over the years.

Place the chopped up mushrooms in a pot covered with water, and bring the temperature slowly to 185 °F (this takes about an hour). Out of curiosity, I tested the pH of the liquid, which registered 6 (mildly acid).

Chopped up Boletus edulis mushroom pieces

Stir in 1 T. + 1 tsp. of Alum to the water. I checked the pH again, which then registered 2 (strongly acid). Heat the dye pot to 180 - 185°. This takes about an hour. Let the pot simmer for another hour. The mushroom slurry is a rich brown color, very slimy, and smells like a delicious, hearty stew. The pore tubes, through which spores travel, separate from each other in the slurry and look like worms.

Mushroom slurry draining through cheese cloth

Let the mixture cool for several hours. When cool, strain the liquid through the sieve lined with cheese cloth. Save the dye liquid and discard the strained mushroom goo. Cover the dye pot and store it in a cool place until ready to dye.

Dye the Fabric

Next, dye the fabric with the mushroom dye liquid. For this experiment, I recycled a cotton dish towel that had been mordanted with alum and solar-dyed with beet stems, which had produced a pale brownish-gray with a tinge of pink in certain light (see Dye Project: Beet Stems). I used a third of the dye and added more alum as an additive, saving the rest of the dye extract for two future experiments.

Boletus dye pot with alum additive

Place the extracted mushroom dye in a dye pot and stir in 1 T. + 1 tsp alum. I tested the pH of the liquid, which now registered 3 (moderately acid). Meanwhile, place the dish towel in clear water to soak for 20-30 minutes, to enable the fibers to soak up the dye.

Heat the mushroom dye to 185 °F (this takes about an hour). Squeeze out the wet towel, and place it in the dye. Simmer for one hour, maintaining the temperature of 185°. Add water periodically to keep the fabric covered with dye extract.

Steep the cotton fabric overnight

Turn off the heat and let the fabric steep in the dye overnight. The next day, squeeze out excess dye, rinse the fabric, and then run it through the washing machine (cold water only), and hang to dry.

Full disclosure: I wasn't thinking, and actually added a mild textile soap [like Synthropol or Professional Textile Detergent (a.k.a., Dharma Dyer's Detergent)] to the rinse, and then dried the towel in the dryer (I usually just rinse and hang to dry, and then wash in mild detergent two weeks later, giving the dye time to set). It seemed to work OK, but was not my usual process.

Squeeze out excess dye and rinse thoroughly

The resulting color was a greenish-yellow when wet (reminiscent of the mushroom underside), but it dried to a lighter shade. The photo appears more tan than the actual color. I wondered if the mushroom dye actually dyed the fabric at all, or did it simply cause a slight over-dye reaction with the previous beet stem dye? It will be interesting to see the outcome of the future experiments planned, using titanium and iron.

The resulting color is actually more greenish-yellow than the photo shows

Landscaping: Two Year Report

 We are celebrating the second anniversary of our “new” landscape! It’s a good time to take stock and see how the garden is progressing. Rebecca Kolls of Rebecca’s Garden says that in the first year perennials sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap. In this post I’m providing a two-year report, comparing progress against Landscaping: One Year Report; Landscaping: Six Month Report; and Landscaping: Finished. Time flies!

Path to the rock garden (Bobo the Husky in the shade to the far right)

The landscape was designed as a wildlife garden with keystone plants for food and shelter, inspired by Doug Tallamy’s work to promote personal landscapes that provide wildlife habitat. The Bird Buddy bird feeder (with camera), hummingbird feeder in the side yard, and terracotta bird bath provide for our avian visitors. The native plants and grasses provide food and habitat for birds, squirrels, and insects. The mighty oak provides deep shade for plants, animals, and people.

Path under the oak canopy

We have become more familiar with the plants, weeds, shrubs and trees in the landscape, and have developed a monthly maintenance schedule for its care. Our professional landscape maintenance team comes once a month and contributes experience, labor, and knowledge to landscape maintenance. Some of the annuals that were planted as succession plants have died off or come back with fewer plants. I could scatter some annual or perennial seed mix, but honestly, I’m enjoying the more “edited” look with fewer plants. That may change, because I do miss the bursts of annual color scattered about the yard.

We’ve lost some plants, which is to be expected. We planted a few replacement plants in November, taking advantage of the winter rains to help get the roots established. Most of the plants are happy in the place they have been planted. The garden is fairly low maintenance (once you know what is required), but weeding is definitely needed.

Path to the lower yard

After reviewing the new landscape, I am satisfied with the progress made over the last year. Most of the original plants are still alive and thriving (coming to the end of the “creep” phase). So far our only change has been to plant two Japanese maple trees in planters. They are thriving and have benefited from aesthetic pruning from our landscaping maintenance team. I’m looking forward to observing as the perennials move into the “leap” stage of their development in the new garden!

Trip to Mendocino

My husband and I recently visited Mendocino, California for a short trip. Mendocino is located about 160 miles north of Oakland, so is very accessible, and is a favorite spot to explore and enjoy life. I wanted to see the Mushrooms & Color Exhibit at the Mendocino Art Center, and my husband wanted to take photos of the sites and landscape. We decided to bring Bobo the Husky, thinking that a short, three-night trip would be a good test case for possible future trips.

This would be Bobo's first road trip with us, and possibly ever. He loves riding in the car, and took the very curvy Highway 128 from the 101 over to the coast like a champ. The stop at Navarro Vineyards & Winery and their wonderful dog park was the perfect place for a quick run and long drink of water. He needed to blow off some steam (I got a good work out as well, trying to keep up with him)! 

Crossing the Richmond Bridge

Farmstead on the way

Our other trips to Mendocino have been in the fall, when the hills are golden and the leaves are sporting fall colors. This time the hills were green and lush from spring rains. Traffic wasn't bad either, especially once we got past Petaluma.

We checked into The Andiron Inn & Cabins and settled into The William and Maude Suite. The Andiron is very dog friendly, and we put their Pet Kit to use right from the start (protective sheets to cover furniture, towels for rubbing down a wet dog, poop bags, home made dog treats, and a personal greeting welcoming Bobo to the Inn). The suite has two rooms, a kitchenette, and a wide front porch. Bobo seemed right at home and enjoyed a walk around the grounds (the chicken coup and goat pen were especially compelling for him). He seemed a little nervous around his dinner time, but looked relieved when his dinner appeared at the usual time in his yellow bowl.

The cabins of The Andiron

Bobo the Husky eating dinner at the usual time

Cozy room with a hair dryer chair

Mendocino as a community is also very dog friendly, which made our first trip with Bobo so pleasurable. We like to eat breakfast at GoodLife Cafe & Bakery, and learned that they have a small park behind the restaurant that is perfect for a dog family to eat together outside. We ate pizza for dinner inside at Frankie's, so Bobo experienced his first time eating at a restaurant (there was an outdoor seating area, but it was already dark and the staff was closing for the day, so they allowed it). For the other two evening meals, we ordered food to go from Flow Restaurant & Lounge and Patterson's Pub, and brought them it back to the Andiron to eat by the fire place.  Very cozy.

Breakfast in the park at GoodLife Cafe & Bakery

Taking a walk while waiting for our Patterson's Pub To Go order

During the day we walked along the trails of the Mendocino Headlands and frolicked in the waves of Van Damme Beach. We brought a 15' leash to give Bobo a little more range, and he thoroughly enjoyed it! I photographed a few late-season mushrooms and harvested some lichen that had blown down in a big wind storm.

Van Damme Beach

We left Bobo in the car for several very short stints, while we did a little shopping at the Mendocino Market, Mendocino Jams and Preserves, and The Highlight Gallery. It was probably harder on us than it was on him, but we wanted to see how he would do alone in the car in short bursts. After all, not every place is dog friendly, or appropriate for a big, energetic dog. Bobo did great, but always seemed happy to see us upon our return. Overall, we found Bobo to be an enthusiastic traveler who embraced every activity with gusto.

Driving back home through the coastal redwoods

We learned a lot on our inaugural trip with Bobo. Advanced planning and research is vital for travelling with a dog. Unless you plan to camp, you need pet-friendly accommodations and restaurants (or order to-go). You need to understand the rules when staying in a pet friendly motel; there is typically a daily fee and you probably cannot leave a pet in the room while you are away. Some motels, attractions, or communities offer kennel service, but you may need to book in advance. Others do not offer such a service, so you may not be able to participate in some activities at your destination.

As when travelling with children, its probably best to stick with the same basic schedule for meals, downtime, and bedtime as you do at home. You also need to provide a water source, snacks and treats, and ensure your pet's comfort and safety. Exercise and downtime are as important on the road, as they are at home. We're looking forward to future car trips with Bobo the Husky!

Mendocino Mushroom Exhibit

While on our recent trip to Mendocino, I attended the Mushrooms & Color Exhibit at the Mendocino Art Center, presented by the International Mushroom Dye Institute (IMDI). At the Art Center, Miriam Rice experimented with mushroom dyeing; taught classes, conducted workshops, collaborated with artist Dorothy Beebee; and worked with fabric artists from around the world. I was interested to see the exhibits as well as the Art Center where so much pivotal work occurred.

 

Mendocino Art Center

The exhibit included beautiful textile pieces created with fibers dyed with mushrooms. Some of the mushrooms used include Cortinarious phoeniceus, C. californicus, C. croceofoliuos, Phaeolus schweinitzii, Hydnellum aurantiacum, Omphalotus olivescens, Boletus edulis, Gymnopilus spectabilus, and more. The variety and intensity of colors is incredible.

Mushroom Wedge Weave, by Ellen Athens
(wool)

Scarf of Flowers, by Nancy Denison
(felted wool and silk)

Spine of the Woods, by Erika J. Gottl
(Shibori silk scarf)

Part of the exhibit was dedicated to records kept for the mushroom dyeing experiments. I appreciated seeing the various ways to keep a dye journal, incorporating color swatches, written word, and illustrations. I can relate to the thrill of discovery and the scientific bent to record the details in order to share, reproduce, or alter in future projects.

Dye journal entry for Cortinarius phoenicieus, var. occidentalis

Dye journal entry for Cortinarius semisanguinea

Dye journal entry for the Dermocybe spp. group, within the genus Cortinarius

Another dye journal entry for Cortinarius phoenicieus, var. occidentalis

The Mendocino Art Center is a wonderfully inviting place for artists, art students, and museum visitors. Several buildings provide classrooms, studios, and residences. The grounds provide a courtyard, garden, and garden art installations. The whole environment invites creativity and collaboration. 

The inviting grounds of MAC

A view to the Pacific Ocean and Mendocino Headlands

It was a pleasure to see the exhibits and dye journals from Miriam Rice's days at the Mendocino Art Center, and to walk the grounds where she taught and worked. I'm inspired to try dyeing with mushrooms for myself!