This weekend I spent some time hiking the Long Trail in Vermont. Up in the mountains their mushroom season is a few weeks ahead into autumn versus where I live near Boston. I'd guess it was already 2 weeks past peak foliage in the mountains of southern Vermont.
So it wasn't a surprise when we discovered a ton of Late Oysters (Sarcomyxa serotina) growing in abundance from trees and snags. They are a late fruiting species of oyster that often appears after the first frost of the season. They have this cool dull green to brown cap and yellowish gills underneath. My references say they are edible after a long period of boiling but are not a choice edible.
Also in abundance were the Hoof fungus Fomes fomentarius. This was one of 2 fungus species discovered with the "Otzi Ice Man". It is conjectured he was carrying it for its use as tinder. The other species was Birch Polypore, maybe for medicinal uses for cuts.
There were plenty of these puffballs (Apioperdon pyriforme) growing from wood.
All of them were old and sporulating.
Some new species for me were Eyelash cup fungus (Scutellinia). These were very small and it was just luck that we spotted these.
Another new species for me was the Resinous Polypore (Ischnoderma resinosum) that we found growing on a dead hardwood log. They were quite large, larger than my hand and were softer to the touch than tough Ganoderma species.
The last new species we found was this Bear's Head Tooth fungus (Hericium americanum). It wasn't a fresh one but this species is edible and tastes like crab. People make "crab" cakes with them and research suggests that it may have neuro-regenerative properties. Take note however that one species of Hericium in the U.K. is listed as threatened and picking and sale of the fungus is illegal. We need more data on almost all fungus species in order to properly conserve them as they are also at danger of threats just like other animals and plants but are often overlooked in regulatory frameworks. I hope my small amount of data provided on iNaturalist can shed some light on fungi biodiversity, range, rarity, and conservation.