Hobby Hunting

My In-laws were in town last week. I hope they had a good visit. It was uncharacteristically HOT while they were here. Then, it rained and rained which was followed by cool weather. This, of course, created perfect weather for FUNGUS!!!! 

The growth of these peculiar wonderments excites me. My kids in their youngness share my exuberance for finding mushrooms; I wonder if it will last. When they want to share their fun about fungi with others, I have to explain to them how not everyone appreciates all of God's coolness. LOL. (or my dorkiness)

I still haven't found the charger to my camera, so I have to rely on my phone camera . The pictures are close to unacceptable, but they are all I have. 

If after reading the descriptions, anyone has any information pertaining to the ID of these mushrooms, please let me know. 

Our location is South Carolina. We are under 50 miles to North Carolina. 

1) Cap is scarlet red to reddish orange to orange with yellow margin

small fragile mushroom

cluster of 6+ mushrooms growing in grass

It's october

gills appear to be unequal

stalk appears to be translucent yellow at substrate and orange brown near cap. it detaches easily

gill colors are buff or yellow

cap shape is conical to umbonate in differing levels of maturity

cap less than 1.5 cm

no visible ring or scales

MAYBE a waxy look to cap

maybe a Mycena or a Hygrocybe

but my resources don't indicate any specific species

2) Puffball growing on ground in grassy area, including adjacent to mobile home. Numerous.

cool wet weather in october

appears to be stalked with cute little spines

inside of mature spore releasing specimen appears to be olive-brown with puffs of brownish green

outside of mature puffball is cracked

interior of immature pure white

measured up to 5 cm

pore opening at top in mature

this appears to be the gem studded puffball aka the common puffball, 

Lycoperdon perlatum 

There also appears to be a different nonpedestal puffball. This looks like the spiny puffball or L. echinatum but it's range is only to Pennsylvania. 

3)Mushroom group of approx. 8 growing in grass

cool wet weather october

cap and stalk white turning brown

convex or bell-shaped cap

gills appear free, close together

partial veil present, ring present on stalk

immature gills appear pink

mature gills appear chocolate brown

bugs, flies, gnats on mushroom (maggot found escaping during spore print)

spore print appears to be dark brown

cap is about 1 and a half inches to 2 inches

no noticeable smell

This is probably the Meadow Mushroom or Agaricus campestris

4)Mushroom found alone and in groups in grassy yard (found near above mentioned meadow mushroom)

cool wet weather october

ruing present

cap is yellowish or creamy brown or brownish yellow

stalk and immature gills appear off white to creamy yellow

mature gills appear gray or purplish brown

cap has rough edges

gills appear to be free, maybe adnexed

gills are close together, numerous

spore print is brownish

no noticeable odor

maybe Garland Stropharia, Stropharia coronilla 

S. coronilla's range is only supposed to be to NC, but I feel this is an accurate match. We are not far from NC. It is possible the range has grown.

5)tough orange jelly-like/coral fungi

no cap and stem

found on a car path (not really a road, more like a drive way with 2 paths of gravel)

the fungi was growing on a submerged piece of decaying wood near grassy meadow

fungi was firmly attached to the substrate

cool wet weather in october

tips are slightly darker than rest of the structure

maybe an antler jelly

most 'branches' are unforked (a few are)

seems to bruise brown after much handling

possibly a Calocera sp.

6)small fragile brown mushroom

widely spaced gills

brown stalk

no ring 

cap conical with possible striations (found damp with dew)

found in grassy pasture

it looks like the lawn mowers mushroom, Psathyrella foenisecii  but it may be out of season