Arizona isn't normally thought of as a hotbed for mushrooms but up in Flagstaff (elevation 7000+ feet) the pine forests at the base of the mountains provides healthy organic matter and the monsoon rains giving essential moister. Added together and a nice assortment of fungi was in abundance on Mars Mesa.
First off is this very safe and quite edible Lobster Mushroom (Hypomyces lactifluorum). This species was somewhat common back around my old place in Massachusetts but here is the first one I've seen in the wild since then.
Actually this fungi is composed of two separate species - a host mushroom, usually of the Lactarius or Lactifluss genus - covering the original mushroom with it's bright orange color and turning it into a quite popular specimen for mushroom hunters. Fortunately there haven't been any reports of this fungus parasitizing a toxic mushroom but even so I left it in case an older or bolder mycologist wanted to gather (I'll stick to real lobster).
Another mushroom that was common on my hikes was this
Puffball This diverse group consists of several genera and they are distinctive as they lack true gills
These young puffballs would probably be edible but I'll leave that for another person or the forest creatures.
The name "puffball" refers to their life cycle as they turn into dried out husks containing billions of tiny spores that are released in a puff to spread them around. So if you see one at this stage, give it a stomp and enjoy the powdery show.
Now onto the interesting but not edible example - the Jack-o-Lantern (Omphalotus olivascens)
While at first a quick glance may have you thinking that you've found a nice big Chanterelle which IS very delectable and highly sought after this species is not to be eaten. While not a deadly variety eating them will probably make you feel like you're dying with severe abdominal pain, vomiting and bloody diarrhea and a stay in the hospital.
Chanterelles generally don't form large colonies (again this variety was common back home in MA and formed huge clumps at the base of old trees) plus they tend to be smaller than these giants.
Here's a close view of the Jack showing the distinct gills and funnel shape that can help separate the two mushrooms (plus the Jack is usually a brighter orange color like this).
An interesting aspect of the Jack-o-Lantern is that they DO "glow". Well, it's more of a faint bioluminescence that isn't that pronounced but I've seen it a few times in the past.
Now to the what I believe is a really, really (and I mean really) BAD mushrooms. An Amanita
While I couldn't find an exact match in images of toxic AZ mushrooms I'm thinking that it is an example of the very aptly named Western Destroying Angel (Amanita ocreata).
Pretty to look at but I figured it was better left alone so I didn't examine them closely to try to determine exactly which species it belonged to. Just be aware the Amanitas can be deadly if eaten. One can kill within a day or cause severe liver/organ injury if you survive so when in doubt look but leave alone.
And now an assortment of different little mushrooms that I saw in my Flagstaff walk - maybe good, maybe bad but all interesting and beautiful in their fungal way. All will be dried out husks soon now that the seasonal rains have passed although the milder climate and forest shade here may prolong their stay a bit longer.
I hope you enjoyed my finds and good luck in your 馃崉 explorations.