What kind of mushroom is this?

Merin Porter

We found this mushroom up in the Colorado high country, and collected it because my husband is pretty sure it's the same kind he saw some strangers collecting to cook with. BUT, as we all know, all mushrooms are edible ... but many mushrooms are only edible once! We don't want to cook with it unless we're 100% sure it's safe to do so, and unfortunately we don't know anyone in our area who can give us a positive ID in person.

So, we were wondering if anyone on here would know for sure, and whether you feel like a positive ID on the Internet is enough of a safeguard for us to eat this mushroom. We believe this is a Hawks Wing mushroom (Sarcodon imbricatus), which is edible and found in the mountains of Colorado. Can anyone confirm this? And, do you know if there are any poisonous look-alikes?

Thank you!

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VickiP

I collect some mushrooms, this is not one of them. Best possibility of an Id would be with your county extension agent or County Extension office. You could also call a local college and see if they could put you in touch with a knowledgeable person. My state conservation department has some good articles on mushrooms: https://searchapp.mo.gov/search-missouri/mdc?q=mushrooms You are right, never eat a wild mushroom without positive ID, which I don't think is really possible over the Internet. As Euell Gibbons once said "Take a wild chance on fungus, you'll soon be missing from among us."