NASAdude

They appear almost every year at this time in my front yard. This is a great example of the Jack-O-Lantern mushroom. In bright sunlight, they appear almost fluorescent orange. At dawn/dusk, they are still very visible when everything around them blurs together in shades of grey. This patch is at the edge of a large stump. Every year the patch is a little larger, and reaches further into the yard.

When I first encountered them, I was hopeful that they might be edible, but was disappointed to find they are poisonous. I guess I'll have to keep to my usual mushroom sources.

UPDATE (Sept. 8, 2005): I took some more pictures this morning. Check out the hot mushroom on mushroom action! These two new shots show the bare undersides of the naughty shrooms! The first new shot shows one shroom giving you a peek underneath. mushrooms3 The next new shot gives you an inside glimpse of naked mushroom piled upon naked mushroom. mushrooms4

Jack-O'-Lantern (Omphalotus olearius)

The bright-orange is well named. Not only is it pumpkin-colored and found in the fall- it also glows in the dark. Fresh specimens sometimes give off a faint greenish glow at night or in a darkened room.

These common mushrooms have caused many poisonings because they look, smell and even taste good. They cause mild to severe stomach upset but are not life-threatening to healthy adults.

Jack-O'-lanterns have a pleasant, fruity fragrance. They are sometimes mistaken for the edible chanterelle (see page 6), which is the same color and also has pleasant smell. Chanterelles, however, have flat-edged, interconnecting ridges or wrinkles instead of knifelike gills, and grow on the ground. Size 3" to 10" tall, cap 3" to 8" diameter.

These mushrooms are found in summer and fall, in large clusters at the base of trees, on stumps or on buried wood.

The jack-o'-lantern and green-spored lepiota are only two of a large number of mushrooms that can cause mild to severe (though not life-threatening) illness if eaten.

Also: Wikipedia, wisc.edu