Hello fellow fungi fans:D
This is a special edition of #fungifriday hosted by @ewKaw.
It's special because the last week or so has turned into an especially interesting time for mushrooms, at least in my neck of the woods;)
I'll start with a follow-up on 
He found some very small white mushrooms that were too old to easily identify.
I had photographed the same species earlier that week.
They are tiny, but aren't they beautiful?
Commonly known as the pinwheel mushroom, their uncommon name is Marasmius rotula.
To me they look more like sea shells than pinwheels, or maybe like they're made out of porcelain china.
Their thread-like stems are an identifying feature. Although thin, they are surprisingly strong and tough.
But then we go from that little beauty of a mushroom, to one that I would say was just plain ugly. Idk if I should admit that I find any mushroom ugly to this community, but I can't help it.
I just think this one is just plain butt ugly.
It's pretty distinctive. You'd think that identification wouldn't be too difficult, but the one species that it even vaguely resembles, is the false morel. Only I didn't find a close match even there.
They call the false morel "brain mushroom". Wouldn't that describe this exactly?
What do you think, my fungi friends? Anyone familiar? or willing to hazard a guess? Drop me a note in the comments. I would love to know what the heck this thing is!
But then
my walk took a dark turn.
It went from ugly...
to deadly!
Amanita ocreata. Anyone foraging for mushrooms would be wise to familiarize themselves with this relatively innocuous looking mushroom.
It has quite a few colorful names that give you an idea of its toxic nature. Amanita ocreata, is also known as the death angel, destroying angel or angel of death.
In all fairness I should point out that, despite this being a very deadly mushroom, I was in no danger being near by or even photographing it. I walked away quite unscathed by this encounter.
It's only if you actually ingest it that you have anything to fear. However, if you do ingest, even a very small amount, YOU ARE IN BIG TROUBLE.
Any forager at risk of being complacent about the dangers of poisonous mushrooms, should be encouraged to read about the result of eating this mushroom. It'll scares the crap out of you, but I don't want to go there in this post.
In fact, for my final photo, in contrast, I offer a shot of one of the most beloved of edible mushrooms finally joining the party...
the Chanterelle! They were just emerging this morning, but we're getting a boatload of rain today. So I imagine by tomorrow or Sunday...
Let the gathering begin!:P
Thanks so much for checking out my post!
And thank you @ewKaw for hosting another fun filled #fungifriday at the Fungi Lovers Community:)