Observations by lauralepkowski

Bright orange fading to lemon yellow cap with white patches distributed over topy. Gills are white, attached to stem, and the stem has a veil membrane. Found under a conifer tree in a local cemetery.

Thick cluster of yellowish-brown, shelf-like caps, 2-9 inches wide and thick, leathery, smooth but not slimy. Bruises black when cut or pressure applied. Found around an oak stump. When young and still white, it is edible. As it ages, it becomes more leathery and can not be chewed or digested well. Does, however, make a good broth if boiled for about an hour or two.

Bright orange, thin fleshed, funnel-shaped appendages arising from a very short, hollow stalk. Smooth to lightly ridged underside, almost the same color as the inside but slightly paler in comparison. Found in a group in a mossy shaded area of a local cemetery.

Brick red to red-orange cap when young, getting brick red in the center with tan to gray outside edge as it ages. Gills are white to creamy at first, aging to buff or pale brown/gray. Growing on decayed broadleaf wood fiber in mixed forest in the middle of October.

Fringed polygala or Gaywing: Tiny pink orchid-like flower in the moss on a bank in the cemetery. Grows only in this one place every year, although there is moss all over the cemetery, which is app. 3/4 of a mile in the length and 1/2 mile in width. The flower grows no higher than 2 inches on a single stem. Leaves are rust brown and green.