Mushroom?

[Fuddy1952]

Curious what this is. I have a small rose garden and cover it with pine needles in Fall. We've had lots of rain so roses are blooming. Just now I noticed this (morel?).
I'm in S.Central Virginia.
Thanks

 

[RNeumann]

Spittlebug is my guess- that’s what I get....but I’m further west.

 

[oosik]

It's definitely NOT a morel. For that matter - it's a kind I've not seen before. We get morel, puffball and shaggy mane. At least, that's the kind I can identify and will eat. We also get Amanita. They are reportedly quite poisonous.

I prefer shaggy mane.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Thanks. I've never seen anything like it.
A few years ago wife and I were having dinner on porch, I thought I'd pick a wild mushroom to put in my salad. I looked it up in a mushroom book, it said edible. I ate most of it...within 20-30 minutes wife calls 911, I'm rushed to hospital. I had sense enough to take rest of it with me to hospital. They had me sign a dnr form!
It was deadly and I'm lucky to be alive. (Later book showed picture of a similar deadly mushroom which is what it was).
This one is sponge-like. I didn't touch it!

 

[jaydee325]

For reference, these are morel.

The cold spring we've had have definitely limited the morel harvest.:irked:

 

[Jstpssng]

I’ve never seen a morel, although I believe that they grow up here. The only thing that I see is called “false morel” (gyromitra) in the books I’ve checked, with conflicting reports if they are edible.
I haven’t tried them.

 

[DerbyRunner]

We lost a dog to a mushroom. I don't go near them.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Best choice is not to eat wild mushrooms unless you're extremely knowledgeable. Even then people I've talked to since say to rub some on your skin...wait 1/2hr., see if there's a reaction, then try a tiny piece, wait. After my experience it's not worth it.
I still eat store bought ones.
Morels I've heard are an expensive delicacy.

 

[lman]

We picked these today and I can confirm that they are safe to eat, however my stomach is telling me that I ate a couple more than I should have.

 

[Steve 3650]

I think what you have is the stem of a phallus ravenelii aka the common stinkhorn mushroom. It is not poisonous but I wouldn't eat one.
They are called stinkhorn because when mature they are slimy and stinky. You can google it for more information if you want.
You are correct to not eat any wild mushroom unless it has been positively. Even if it's identified and you're trying it for the first time you should eat just a small amount because we are all different and some people are more sensitive to certain things than others.
Stinkhorns are commonly found in gardens where an organic mulch has been brought in. I had them in shrub beds that had been mulched with hardwood bark mulch.
They,re no problem unless there is a lot and they stink too much. If you want them gone you can dig them up. They grow from sort of an egg under where they sprout up from. And if you were inclined to want to eat them, the egg is the edible part.
Good luck and be safe,
Steve