What is the mushroom?

Here in south west KY. Anyone know what this is??

looks a lot like an oyster that is just a bit past it's prime. Hard to tell from just two photos but i would certainly guess it's an oyster

A spore print would be great to have, that way you can start the process of identification.

Identifying Oyster Mushrooms:
◾Oyster shaped cap, hence the name “Oyster mushroom,” usually 2-10 inches across (5-25 cm).
◾Often growing in a shelf-like formation with overlapping caps.
◾Completely smooth tops.
◾Usually white to light silvery-brown top surface, with white gill and stem. The internal flesh is bright white.
◾Decurrent gills, meaning the gills are attached to and running from the cap and down stem.
◾A stem may or may not be present and will be off center of the cap.
◾The spore print is a silvery-gray.

Addendum, even though there are no "oyster mushroom look a likes", it is always a great idea to go through the process of identification since you normally only get one chance to get it right.

If you do an online lookup for "mycologists in my area", you should be able to find an expert close to you.
Pictures can help but for most mushrooms it is better to have hands on the unidentified rather than trying to identify long distance, photos can and have been misleading in the past.
Problems arise because of color differences between the camera, the internet and which computer/ program the observer is using.

Most areas of the USA have local mycology organizations with folks that have the local knowledge to get identifications right, and they usually have field trips both for collecting and learning to identify.

Redhawk

Thanks all!

On oysters the gills run down the full length of the underside.

In the pics this does not seem to be the case.

There are old mushroom foragers.
There are bold mushroom foragers.
But there are not many old bold mushroom foragers.

I think a spore print is a good idea.

Howdy,
Reason to be out in Oct. rain, brings abundance Of Oyster Mushrooms...It's whats for breakfast, lunch, din-din...thinking stuffed baked salmon...

There are several species of oysters, and they come in many colors, from solid white to blue, to a darker greenish brown.  Depending where you live, you might even find golden oysters, which are not native but have escaped into the wild as a result of people cultivating them.

Also there is an oyster look-alike. Angel wing (Pleurocybella porrigens) looks like white oysters but the difference is that angel wing only grows on conifers, while oysters are primarily on hardwood.

Pleurocybella porrigens does not grow in SE KY as far as I know.

Not 100% sure what type of tree that is based on what little I can see, but it definitely doesn't look like pine or cedar or any other conifers that I know of.

I have picked a TON of oysters over the years.

What you found is Pleurotus ostreatus. Super common in your area, also very much in season right now.

howdy,

Chanterelles for dinner

Howdy,



Today, 11/20/2021, 2hrs....."Doot, doot, doo, looking out my back door"  CCR...

randal cranor wrote:...."Doot, doot, doo, looking out my back door"  CCR...

Yeah, but you're in southern Oregon for cryin' out loud!  That's like hunting for corn cobs in Iowa!..... :-)

Just jealous from our days back in the Willamette Valley...... :-)   Fargo, ND has its moments for 'shrooming, but they are fleeting and unpredictable.  

We had relatively warm weather last week and rain Saturday. I found these oysters  Sunday on a stump along the driveway. They had frozen overnight.  The dark color is what I find here in PA during the winter.