Mushroom: Honey Mushroom (Armillaria mellea)?

September 21st, 2012. The next promising roads after the Coleman River Road and the Tallulah River – Tate City roads were the Popcorn – Plum Orchard roads, still in Rabun County.
 

Popcorn Road drops quite steeply from US-76 and then climbs quite steeply again. When it drops down into the next valley, the road fords and unnamed creek and curves slightly to the left. The road then winds its way uphill into an area dominated by rhododendrons and crossed several times by small creeks; this area is full of springs. When Popcorn Road met Plum Orchard Road, we continued up Plum Orchard Road. Further along Plum Orchard Road from where we found the mushrooms on the hillside, we found another large cluster growing on the embankment right beside the road. These allowed better access for photographing.

The main cluster was on the left side of the trunk. When we found them there were still shadows on them.

A closer view

Looking down on the caps. The two-tone colored caps makes me think they are Pholiota mutabilis, the Changing Pholiota.

As we photographed the sun moved lower and the mushrooms were in complete sunlight

The mushrooms to the right of the tree trunk were not growing in an organized fashion.  seemed to be growing…

Individually in loose clusters, or in a

tight cluster from a ‘single point’

Some were growing as individuals and …

were works of art.

Originally I identified these mushrooms tentatively identified these as a Pholiota mutabilis based on the prominent annulus (ring), the scaly stems, and the two-tone colored caps but… I've revised this identification to the Honey Mushroom (Armillaria mellea) based on photographs published by the Ohio Mushroom Society.

Click on an image to view a larger image

Identification Resources:

The Ohio Mushroom Society: Armillaria mellea

Related posts:

- Mushroom: Pholiota species? 

- Wildflowers On Popcorn – Plum Orchard Roads

- Nodding Lady’s Tresses (Spiranthes cernua)