Top 20 Edible Mushrooms Popular in Colorado Springs

A familiar sight to spring morel hunters, dryad's saddle is noteworthy for its large size, striking scales, and watermelon-like smell. Similar to other mushrooms in the bracket fungi family, dryad's saddle can be used to make paper. Younger mushrooms are better suited for this purpose due to their smaller and more consistent fibers.

Orange-capped bolete (Leccinum aurantiacum) is easily recognizable for its thick stalk and colorful red-orange cap. Bruised skin may turn burgundy before becoming gray. It sprouts in summer and autumn throughout North America and Europe, where it is particularly associated with the poplar tree.

The cap is 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in) broad; it has a convex shape which, in age, becomes flat. The flesh is white, moderately thick, and firm. The odor is pungent, even though the mushroom has a mild taste. When injured, it turns a pinkish-red. The surface is white, dry, and innately fibrillose. At the margin, it is finely scaled, though it discolors into a brownish shade in age. The stem is 5–11 cm (2.0–4.3 in) tall and 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) thick. The stem extends to the enlarged base. At maturity, the stem is stuffed. The surface is white, and turns smooth at the apex, while it is finely scaled below. The partial veil is white, membranous, and two layered. The upper surface is striate, while the lower surface is composed of scaly patches, forming a small, superior annulus. The flesh is white, though it stains red quickly when injured. The gills are initially unattached to the stem, packed close together, and are pinkish-brown; in age they become blackish-brown. Spores are 5–6 by 3–4 µm, smooth, and elliptical. The spore print is a blackish-brown color.

The impressively large caps of the giant sawgill (Neolentinus ponderosus) can spread up 30 cm across and encompass entire decaying stumps and logs. Unlike other mushrooms, the giant sawgill thrives in the hotter, drier months. Look for them near Ponderosa Pines.

The torq (Agaricus bitorquis) is a white-capped agaric that bears a resemblance to, and is closely related to, the commonly-eaten button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus). This hardy, generalist species does well even in urban environments - their white fruiting bodies can be seen poking up through woodchips, mulch, sidewalk cracks, and even asphalt.

Common laccaria may sound like a malevolent name for a mushroom, but fret not! This species is so-called because its appearance is highly variable, with individual caps taking on a whole host of colors, from whitish to pinkish to dark brown.

The salt-loving mushroom (Agaricus bernardii) is a globally-distributed species that has a fondness for microhabitats that are, you guessed it, salty! Salt marshes, coastal grasslands, and even recently salted roads and sidewalks play host to this agaric species, which is stocky in stature and has a white or off-white cap.

The common stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus) grows incredibly quickly, sometimes nearing 30 cm in a single afternoon. Their caps are pitted in a way which makes them reminiscent of morels. However, there's little mistaking the common stinkhorn for a morel; the former, in addition to sporting a much longer stalk, has a clear and pungent odor.

The purple coral is a tiny, but beautiful and impressive fungus that can be immediately distinguished from other Alloclavaria and Clavaria species by its distinctive purple colour. This mushroom grows in large clusters, but it's still unclear whether it's a saprobic or mycorrhizal species.

Shingled hedgehog(Sarcodon imbricatus) is often found in the company of fir trees, and it is therefore partial to mountainous or hilly regions. Endemic to Europe and North America, the species is prone to forming fairy rings. It fruits in early autumn.