Shroom Bloom

I'm pretty sure these are Inky Cap Mushrooms.  I would not consider eating these unless I was desparately hungry.

I read that Inky Caps are sometimes called Alcohol Caps because if you drink alcohol within a few days after eating these you'll feel like you're gonna die, even if you don't.  I don't want to have to worry about that.

Inky Caps mature quickly and can turn to black slime within a day.  Don't even try to pick and store them.  Manna from heaven?  No thanks!  These are growing near the stump of a red maple and they follow the tree's old root system.  And these mushrooms are really all connected.  Mushrooms are called "fruiting bodies."  Imagine a bunch of apples scattered on the ground, you wouldn't think of them being connected, all fruits of the same subterranean tree that's managed to push its progeny to the open air for dispersal.  The mushrooms are connected all over the yard.  And certain mushrooms have affinity for certain trees.  In late summer I'll show you some ash tree boletes that appear in the back yard.  Fungi are so fascinating!