In many ways, these fleshy, spore-bearing fruits are more closely related to animals than plants and have been utilized in everything from medicine and gourmet foods, to spiritual conquests and religious journeys. There isn’t much that hasn’t been done with mushrooms. Accounting for a huge variety of life in our own sub-alpine woodlands, resident mushrooms come in every earthly shape, color and size imaginable. With warm days, cool nights and plenty of moisture, mushroom season is in full swing. So here’s a look at just a few curious characters lurking in a forest near you.

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  Cap shapes reminiscent of the Taj-Mahal, this trio of Laccaria laccata hides near a marshy bog.

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  Golden coral mushrooms sprout from a mossy log.

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  Elegant gills line the underside of this unidentified mushroom.

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  Unidentified and beautiful, this earthy creature fruits near the exposed roots of a tree.

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  Boletus Mushrooms, aka porcinis, are choice for eating purposes.

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  Toxic troops of scaly pholiota are commonly seen growing on wood at the base of tree stumps.