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Got a question for Ask MDC? Send it to AskMDC@mdc.mo.gov or call 573-522-4115, ext. 3848.

Q: My wife and I came across this mushroom on the Discovery Trail behind Burr Oak Woods Conservation Nature Center. We were amazed by its beautiful color. What type of fungi is it?

This is probably a cinnabar polypores (Pycnoporus cinnabarinus). These tough, fan-shaped fungi are bright red-orange when young and grow duller orange as they age. Relatively uncommon, these mushrooms feed on dead or decaying hardwoods — often oak — and rarely on the wood of conifers. They can grow singly or in groups. They are not edible, but with their bright and cheerful hues, they decorate woodlands in the same way wildflowers do. Like many other saprobic fungi, cinnabar polypores play an important role in breaking down the tough materials wood is made of and returning those nutrients to the soil.

For more information, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/4C2. 

Q: We were creek walking and found this little guy. We had never seen a bright red one before. Why is he this color? 

It looks like you discovered a burrowing crayfish. These crustaceans spend most of their lives deep underground in extensive networks of tunnels and chambers they’ve created. They occasionally emerge from their burrows to hunt. It is most common to see them wandering about after a significant rain.

Burrowing crayfish are among the most brightly colored crayfish we encounter, featuring vibrant patterns and color variations. This red variation is common among several Missouri species. However, we still don’t fully understand why burrowing crayfish, which spend most of their lives in the dark and mud, are so beautifully hued. To learn more, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/4Cu.

Q: Last July we saw this deer with a black tail in our pasture, north of Kearney. What kind of deer is it?

This is a white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), Missouri’s most common species of cervid.

This one pictured does have more dark hair on the upper side of its tail than is typical. However, it’s relatively common for mammals to exhibit some color variation due to genetic variability. Within the same species, some animals can be unusually dark (melanistic) or piebald (leucistic) or even all white (albino).

The tail is a part of a deer’s body that often shows the most variation in hair color. And because this variation in hair color has a genetic basis, it can be common to see more than one individual exhibiting this color pattern in an area. 

The white-tailed deer is aptly named because the white undersurface of its flaglike tail is highly visible as it flees danger with its tail held high.

For more information, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/4Cb.