Fungus taxonomy is really confusing, so I’m simply listing these in the order I add them. If I can identify it to a family, genus or species, I will, but unless they’re really distinctive, I’m not going to spend a lot of time trying to identify them. I think people who eat wild mushrooms are crazy because it’s so easy to make a mistake. I vividly remember one fire call where we responded to an elderly couple who ate a local mushroom that I know is toxic, because it wildly advertises it with a bright red color (Amanita muscaria). I haven’t seen that one in my yard yet.

Orange Peel Fungus

(Aleuria aurantia) – No, this is not a discarded orange. I’ve only seen this fungus one time and it kind of freaked me out because I had never seen anything like it before. I wasn’t even sure it was a fungus at first.(spotted 11/14/2009)

Shelf Fungus

(taxonomy unknown) These are growing on the decaying stump of a willow tree. Shelf fungus is a broad term and doesn’t relate to any specific taxonomy.