Strange Mushroom that we found

[EddieWalker]

We found this mushroom growing on our place and really can't believe it's for real. We don't know anything about mushrooms, so it might be very common. We've never seen anything like it before, so maybe it's not so common.

Does anybody know what it is or a good website to learn about it?

Eddie

 

[tallyho8]

I'm not sure if the proper description is a fungus or a mushroom but I have seen hundreds of them in the woods and it seems like no two are ever alike. I have seen many I wanted a photo of because they were so pretty or unusual and didn't have my camera with me and went back a day or two later with my camera and they were either gone, or shriveled up. One that is a little similar is here: Image:Fungus on Fungus.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

 

[RobS]

Very cool find Eddie. I found, and shot a picture of a beautiful fungus several years ago and have seen some nice ones since but never like that original. I remember reading that there are many types of fungus, perhaps more than any other organism?

How is Steph's photography interest coming along? Fungus can be great subjects to work with. For one thing, they don't move!

 

[3RRL]

Eddie,
We've had some strange ones too ... both fungus and mushrooms.
That one you have is very cool indeed. Loretta would drool over it and take about 50 pictures of it too!

 

[MossRoad]

Very cool!

 

[Bird]

It's pretty, and I, too, have never seen anything quite like it.

 

[Chuck52]

If it is growing on the wood.....looks like it might be on a root? I'd say it might be "chicken of the woods", which is an edible variety. However, those are "bracken" types, and are typically seen on trees rather than on the ground as this one appears to be.

Chuck

 

[scgargoyle]

All mushrooms are edible.....once.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks for the help in identifying it, but so far, we're not seeing anything that looks just like it. There is only one of it, not a group of them, so that's why we thought it was a mushroom. It's probably a fungus, but from the google searches that I've done, none match it yet. The sheer size of it and the fact that it's just the one seems to make it rather unique.

I haven't been back to that spot yet, but might tonight to see it again and if it's still there.

Thank you,
Eddie

 

[WTA]

I think those are called shingles, not mushrooms. At least that's the common name I always heard them called. The scientific name is bracket fungi. They are all over my other place in the old growth trees. Here's a link to some info on it. Bracket fungus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia