I believe this is a young cortinarius mushroom. I spotted it deep into a Maine Forest on Rattlesnake Mountain. It wasn't hard to spot, as the deep indigo penetrated the dull dead northeast oak leaf and pine needles.
A common feature among all species in the genus cortinarius is that young specimens have a cortina (veil) between the cap and the stem, hence the name, meaning curtained.
The veil protects the gills in younger specimens and usually disappears leaving little to no trace of itself as the mushroom grows. The spores of a Cortinarius mushroom are rusty brown to brownish red in color. It is usually possible to identify a mushroom as being a member of the genus, but extremely difficult to positively identify the species as many of the species are nearly identical.
Several mushrooms in the genus Cortinarius are poisonous, mainly because they cause acute tubulointerstitial nephritis. Some are even lethal, such as Cortinarius rubellus and Cortinarius orellanus. Therefore, a common rule when it comes to mushrooms from this genus is that none of them should be eaten.
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- CTS