Can anyone identify these mushrooms?

[Katie H]

These two beautiful mushrooms popped up in our yard the last couple of days. The shorter one is about 8" tall, the larger one is about 1 foot.

Yesterday they had ping pong ball-like caps but, this morning, they became what you see in the photos.

Anyone know what kind they are and are they edible?

 

[GotGarlic]

My master gardener group had a mushroom expert from the local botanical garden as a speaker once. The main thing I remember is to never try to identify a mushroom from a photo. There are poisonous mushrooms that mimic safe mushrooms. In some cases, in order to tell them apart, they have to let it sit overnight on a piece of white paper and a piece of dark paper, to see what color powder falls from it.

There are mushroom ID groups on Facebook, but personally I'd pass.

 

[dragnlaw]

absolutely, positively, change the underwear, agree with GG!

 

[Katie H]

No, I hadn't planned on eating them but my mammoth case of curiosity made me want to know what they might be. They're just beautiful!

 

[blissful]

Check out page 16/72
It starts as a ping pong ball shape then flattens out.


Amanita thiersii – Thiers’ Lepidella


https://gpnc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/GPNC-Mushrooms.FINAL_.pdf

 

[taxlady]

I agree with GG. I was going to mention the spore test with the dark paper and the light paper. It's often the best way to distinguish between two similar looking mushrooms. I think you should try that test. I'm pretty sure that the colour of the spores is listed in most mushroom identification books.

 

[dragnlaw]

but what does the colour tell you? Dark is deadly, white devine?

how about https://Amanita_vittadinii

or
Amanita Ravenelii

hard to tell not knowing the exact time frame from any of the pics.

I sorta like this one...
through the eye of a needle at 50 paces could describe this one.

Does Amanita ring a bell with anyone?

 

[Katie H]

but what does the colour tell you? Dark is deadly, white devine?

how about https://Amanita_vittadinii

or
Amanita Ravenelii

hard to tell not knowing the exact time frame from any of the pics.

I sorta like this one...
through the eye of a needle at 50 paces could describe this one.

Does Amanita ring a bell with anyone?

The pictures were taken about 10:30 a.m. Central Daylight Time. Plus we live in far western Kentucky near the Tennessee border.

 

[Katie H]

but what does the colour tell you? Dark is deadly, white devine?

how about https://Amanita_vittadinii

or
Amanita Ravenelii

hard to tell not knowing the exact time frame from any of the pics.

I sorta like this one...
through the eye of a needle at 50 paces could describe this one.

Does Amanita ring a bell with anyone?

The eye of the needle is EXACTLY what we have.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Sorry, no. They ain't MY mushrooms.

 

[GotGarlic]

but what does the colour tell you? Dark is deadly, white devine?



how about https://Amanita_vittadinii



or

Amanita Ravenelii



hard to tell not knowing the exact time frame from any of the pics.



I sorta like this one...

through the eye of a needle at 50 paces could describe this one.



Does Amanita ring a bell with anyone?

I know that Amanita muscaria is the iconic mushroom emoji that you see everywhere [emoji265] - and it's highly poisonous.

 

[taxlady]

but what does the colour tell you? Dark is deadly, white devine?

how about https://Amanita_vittadinii

or
Amanita Ravenelii

hard to tell not knowing the exact time frame from any of the pics.

I sorta like this one...
through the eye of a needle at 50 paces could describe this one.

Does Amanita ring a bell with anyone?

It helps you distinguish between similar looking 'shrooms. It's not just a simple rule. The one that seems to be Katy's mushroom has white spores. A similar mushroom has blue spores. The reason for using light paper and dark paper is that it's easier to tell some colours on a dark background and others on a light background.

 

[dragnlaw]

So some spores of the same colour are bad and the others are good?

 

[taxlady]

So some spores of the same colour are bad and the others are good?

Probably. I just know that each species of mushroom has a distinct colour. I imagine that sometimes the colour occurs in a safe mushroom and sometimes in a toxic one. It's one of the identity markers for a mushroom species. It helps you tell the difference between two similar looking mushrooms. There are probably some types of mushrooms where two similar looking ones have the same or similar colours of spores.