South Dakota Mycology

Are you odd? Me too! Welcome friend. If you’re interested in South Dakota mycology and REALLY want to nerd out, then go check out my work at (website currently being moved) https://southdakotafungi.wordpress.com/. There you will find a guide filled with local photos to help you identify mushrooms from SD and the Midwest area… and join the club!

South Dakota Mushroom Club

If, on the other hand, you have come here to learn more about me (this is LoganSpader.com after all) then check out my top 10 favorite mushrooms below!

#10 – Phallus Impudicus

Haha! The name, the smell, I love this mushroom. Warning, it smells like a rotting corpse and tastes even worse. Check out the video of us eating it: https://youtu.be/ix5rgoqHwnU

#9 – Hymenoscyphus fructigenus

Known commonly as “Nut Disco” do I really have to explain why this mushroom is as awesome as it is?

#8 – Boletinellus Merulioides

This was the first edible bolete that I found in South Dakota. It will forever have a place in my heart. It’s also awesome because it grows in HUGE patches and tastes great. You can watch my Ash Bolete hunting video here: https://youtu.be/z6CxyzETkaY

#7 – Xylaria polymorpha

The common name “Dead Man’s Fingers” should be its scientific name. I can’t think of a better fitting name! My kid’s and I are ALWAYS psyched to stumble upon this little fungus.

#6 – Polyporus Squamosus

A mushroom that fruits almost as big as my child? Instant spot on my top 10 list. It also tastes pretty good in soups! Learn when NOT to eat this mushroom in my short video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im4ukdl7Vjo

#5 – Auricularia Auricula

This mushroom is almost entirely responsible for my obsession with eating wild mushrooms. I was hiking with a good friend when we first found a log covered in them. My friend said it looked like “wood ear” mushrooms that he uses in oriental meals. After a bit of research and a taste test I was hooked!

#4 – Coprinellus sp.

Whether it’s C. micaceus being the first mushroom to greet me every season or C. disseminatus growing in clusters of HUNDREDS, this genus never fails to catch my attention. Known commonly as inky caps, they are tasty if you do NOT mix them with alcohol 🙂

#3 – Ganoderma Applanatum

The “artist’s conk” takes my #3 spot due to the fact that it is one of the few mushrooms that can be found when it is -22°F outside (or colder, because this is South Dakota we are talking about). G. Applanatum grows for years and can get impressively large.

#2 – Pluteus sp.

I can’t think of a single other genus that has more local species here in eastern South Dakota than Pluteus. This means I’ve spent a ton of time reading through research journals and diving into keys. Plus, these easily have the coolest pleurocystidia of any mushroom that I’ve viewed under the microscope! On 8/3/25 I decided to start building a Pluteus guide for my personal education. You can view the guide here:

Pluteus Guide

If you find any interesting Pluteus that you would like me to check out, please contact me here or on iNat.

#1 – Unknown Mushrooms

Taking the #1 spot on my list of favorite mushrooms is the unknown mushroom! Mycology would be quite boring if I already knew all the local wild fungi. There are hundreds of thousands of known species and possibly millions left to find. How exciting to be part of the treasure hunt!?

But why?

I do not make money from the hundreds of hours that I have spent documenting these mushrooms. GASP! That’s right, while the majority of Americans are turning their hobbies into “side hustles” to feed our capitalistic monster I have promised myself to NEVER become a paid influencer in the field of mycology.

So why put all the work into this website? Hunting mushrooms is awesome. I love eating them, experiencing them, finding them, and photographing them. Each time I add a new mushroom to this list it forces me to learn the Latin names and grow my personal knowledge which I pass on to my kids. This website exists for me to learn mushrooms and use my many talents to help teach other people about South Dakota mycology.

Link for sequencing specimen collection: https://mycota.com/continental-mycoblitz/