http://www.geocachingmaine.org/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/603/sort/1/cat/502/page/1

I came across this oddity at Josphine's Joy on the Blue trail. I have never seen anything like it. There is another picture I took that looks like a brain but it has a slug cralling on it and I dont want to gross anyone out. Though I can hang out in the woods identifying strange growths are not my strong point.

Any ideas on what it is???

Shroom or fungus? If Homer Simpson were here he'd eat it. MMMMM fungus.

Could it be a false morel? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_Morel

I believe it is the scatshroom...........hehehehe..........just kidding! I have no clue.

If the mushroom has a thick stem that is off white and from what I see in the picture it could be a Gyromitra esculenta (False Morel, Brain Mushroom). Lost Hiker Man and I found one on a path near a lake and also a large group of them at a cemetery last Saturday. I am really trying to learn my mushrooms before I do a week's seminar at the Humboldt Field Research Institute at the end of August.

Hi Lefty,
I agree with Hiker Twin and think it is probably a false morrel. Looked thru my mushroom books that appears to be the closest match. Not too many shrooms out yet. I too was photographing and studying them last Summer, I still don't trust my ID's on them enough to pick out edible varieties. Just one mistake could prove fatal or make you very ill, not worth the risk. Keep watch while caching there are many colorful and unusual shrooms in the woods.

Cliff

This is what we call an elephant ear in Missouri. You don't find them very often. So pick them when you can. I usually find a couple every year while out lookin for shrooms. They are just as good as a morel if not better. Just cut them in thin slices and fry them up. I will send a picture of one that I found if you want to compare? ;)

ahhhh yes!! these are very rare! they are of the Scharphimenaginlle family, they are strange mushrooms because they grow in very dry and well lit areas, these mushrooms are very special, because they are a cross between the Mungeranerus shroom and the Phylinapeius shroom, they have a root system that lives dormant underground and the shroom you see there only sprouts about every 10 to 15 years. but be warned!! these are extremely deadly!! even just breathing in a few of their spores will cause you extreme pain! if you breathe enough they can kill you! but it is also a myth that anyone that can consume 5 of the shrooms and live will have eternal life!!!..... lets see a show of hands... how many people believe me???

These ARE false morels. I have eaten them. :D They will make some people sick.:eek: ....and some people can consume them just fine,:p I happen to be in the latter group,:cool: but wouldn't try them again.;) After a few years of hunting morels, I do know what they look like now.:o See Attached link: http://www.wild-harvest.com/pages/morel.htm Great feast with fresh fiddleheads and a mess of brook trout, Mmmm!! :D For good morel picking, look for a hardwood forest that has been recently burnt over (within the last couple years) ENJOY!!

Ssalisbury, welcome to the forum! By coincidence, I'm sitting in a hotel room in Springfield MO! Headed home tomorrow.

These ARE false morels. I have eaten them. :D They will make some people sick.:eek: ....and some people can consume them just fine,:p I happen to be in the latter group,:cool: See Attached link: http://www.wild-harvest.com/pages/morel.htm Great feast with fresh fiddleheads and a mess of brook trout,

Yeah, it figures. Someone who would eat fiddleheads WOULD eat strange fungi.

:p :p :p

Hmmmm . . . I'm no mushroom expert -- trees are more of "my thing." But I can tell you one thing, anything that looks like crapola should probably not be eaten . . . this includes Baby Ruth candy bars. :D

Ssalisbury, welcome to the forum! By coincidence, I'm sitting in a hotel room in Springfield MO! Headed home tomorrow.

oops.....we all....all but TAT, missed welcoming and new member. :(

WELCOME SSALISBURY!! :D ;) :D

Hmmmm . . . I'm no mushroom expert -- trees are more of "my thing." But I can tell you one thing, anything that looks like crapola should probably not be eaten . . . this includes Baby Ruth candy bars. :D

I'll second that!