What are they?
Looks like a nice cluster of Jack-O-Lantern mushrooms
Unfortunately, they are a Chanterelle lookalike that cause pretty unpleasant effects in people that get tricked into eating them. But they are pretty to look at
When trying to get an ID on mushrooms, best practice is to get a picture of the whole mushroom from pretty much every angle (top, side view, underside of cap), a cross section of the stipe (stem) and cap, and a picture of the place where it's growing. We also need to know the general location in the world for an accurate ID, and a description of the growth environment (what kind of trees are in the forest around you, what kind of tree is the mushroom growing on, etc.) can be helpful. All mushrooms outside of Asia can be handled, nibbled on and spit out safely, taste and odor are sometimes relevant to an ID as well. The multiple picture angles and world location are the most important things, though.
They are probably jacks (Omphalotus spp.) although it's hard to say for sure without more pictures and a location would be needed to narrow down the species. They are definitely not chanterelles.
This is the video I learned from: https://youtu.be/9aOwgaIFKMY
Quick rundown is there are a few ways to tell them apart:
- Cluster size: Chanterelles are almost always individual (or occasionally 2-3 together) not great big clusters like this
- Chanterelles grow out of the ground, JOL grow out of wood
- Flesh color: If you split them in half Chanterelles will have a white interior, JOL will be orangish
- Size: Chanterelles tend to be quite a bit smaller than JOL
I did a little reading that also said chanterelles have no smell while JOL have a strong, pleasant smell. All signs point to JOL.
Flesh color: If you split them in half Chanterelles will have a white interior, JOL will be orangish
This is the most surefire way to identify chanterelles for sure. They will also peel apart like string cheese down the stipe, which should not be hollow.
A little late to this party, but another giveaway is that chanterelles grow in symbiosis with tree roots, so they will appear to be sprouting from the ground, rather than growing out of the side of a log or tree.
