(I think) I Found a Chanterelle Patch

I am not sure -- I need my friend Ally to help verify this -- and maybe until September when they are out of the ground again -- but I think I found a patch of chanterelles within walking distance of home. This is very exciting because these are known for their deliciousness. Mushroom collectors, already secretive about their collecting spots for other mushrooms, scarcely reveal their chanterelle haunts.

Although the habitat I was in seems right -- an oak understory in a gully, an internet crash course tells me that I need to examine the gills before truly identifying these.

 I might have found a population of the bioluminescent jack-o'lantern mushrooms, which grow on wood, sometimes underground rotting wood. These would still be a great find, because then I could return to find them glowing at night.

False chanterelles (which are not deadly, just not delicious) have true gills, but real chanterelles have false gills. Confused? Me too...don't worry, I'm not going to go picking any yet. My photos aren't good enough to make the call, and the fungi have vanished now. But I know the spot, and I'll wait until I'm accompanied by an expert to return.

At any rate, with its waxy orange translucent glow, this mushroom I found on a drizzly morning walk is another feature of nature to become excited about, another seasonal phenomenon of intrigue. Just look at trumpet-carrying, tux-laden David Arora on the cover of his wildly popular book, All that the Rain Promises, and More. Who wouldn't want to experience such simplistic joy from nature's bounty?!

Chanterelles? Marin County, Dec 2012.