I suppose many mushrooms have hollow stipes. This is the only one I have seen whose hollowness extends all the way through the cap, so you can look down, in some specimens, all the way to the ground. The ultimate umbilicate? They seem to be quite common these days (mid-late Nov). Quite handsome and long-lived, with only mature specimens showing the hole at top. Some of them have a significant zoned colouring, darker in center, with that darker portion raised.The third pic -- depending on the resolution of the upload product -- shows lots of little guys at the bottom, waiting their turn to push up. Could get pretty crowded there!
Those are Winter Chanterelles AKA Yellowfoot, Craterellus tubaeformis. It is an excellent edible, similar to regular Chanterelles in taste, often abundant in the right environment. They tolerate light freezing and some years will keep producing throughout the winter season, but hard freezing from a strong blast from an arctic outflow will usually end their growth. They also are easy to dry and re-constitute nicely without much soaking. Another beneficial trait: they produce large amounts of vitamin D when exposed to sunshine.
Oh, cool, thanks! I thought they would be an easy one since they're so common, but I wasn't getting it myself.
