Identification: another strange fungus--just have to show this one off

Hello all yet another fungus that I found....just have to show
found DEEP in the woods near Asheville nc


this one is just cute

 

Hello again RockhopperNC

If the specimen in the first two pictures is hard and growing from wood, I'm thinking it might be something like Xylaria polymorpha. The colour seems too white, but .... it really does look like that to me.

However, if it is not hard or not on wood, perhaps some kind of club fungi, an earthtongue ...

-frog

 

Those yellows are BEAUTIFUL! Did they seem sticky or 'waxy' by chance?
The white one reminds me of several ideas....
Like Frog suggested a possible Xylaria is the direction most comfortable for me....Cordycepts tend to resemble this fellow?
A note in my area about the 'white'....I've been noticing on our Xylaria polymorpha (Dead Mans Fingers) that another kind of fungus seems to really love taking over. A pure white in color...starting from the top/tip and going down. Once covered it resembles this fellow above very strongly!