Yellow Morel

Friend Doug found this fungus for us yesterday, on a day hike to Marston Creek, Kananaskis. At first, it was thought it might be an old mushroom, but a closer look at it on the hike down the hillside revealed that it might not be. Thanks to Doug for identifying this as a Brain Mushroom, Gyromitra esculenta, a "spring morel look-alike" which is poisonous. Later: thanks to ressaure for the correct ID!

The weather was beautiful - we felt maybe half a dozen raindrops as the day wore on, that's all. The trees were such an amazing, brilliant green. One word about the "Creek" here - when we did this hike a year ago, the creek was just a little trickle. Yesterday, it was a fast-flowing stream that we had to cross somehow. People crossed at a couple of different places - I ended up crossing at what was described as the "best" place to cross, i.e. inching my feet across a slippery log from bank to bank, holding on to a long, sturdy stick that I pressed into the water, and grabbing so tightly to my backpack that a very helpful friend was carrying across for me, LOL. Thanks SO much, Arnold, for all your help! Would not have made it on my own, that's for sure! And thanks, David, for carrying my camera safely across for me - it would have been a sad thing if I had fallen in along with my camera!

A great source of information at Tom Volk's website:
botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/may2002.html