This species is said to be hard to find and I would agree, however I’ve found psilocybe caerulipes growing between Vermont and New Hampshire. And in this post I will share my experience.
It is a small psilocybin mushroom compared to other varieties I have found on the west coast.
At first glance it can look very similar to other little brown mushrooms.
In my experience they can grow amongst pines and hemlocks although it might actually grow best on hardwood. It will grow on wood chips and it’s where I have seen them growing more abundantly in clusters. However, this year less than last year.
Initially I would only see a few here and there, but in later years found them growing heavier where wood chips were placed. That is similar to the psilocybes in the Bay area.
I found these growing along sides of walking trails and animal paths.
The color when dry is light tan and they bruise blue. When wet they are more like honey-brown. Sometimes the bluing is more obvious and other times not.
Some size references on psilocybe caerulipes
They are usually quite small. I’ve seen some with caps larger than a quarter, but most are smaller.
Characteristics (check Wiki or other sites) but I’ll simply add:
- They bruise blue
- They have a purple brown spore print
- They are small, usually less than a few inches tall and caps smaller than a quarter
- They grow on wood, especially wood chips, in intermixed forests, near hemlocks and pines, on rotting hardwood on the sides of trails.
- They grow from the middle of August-September and then they are gone.