Hi everyone!
I am new to this site, but from what I see so far, I am impressed!
I'm fairly new to mushroom hunting. I have successfully hunted a few species of easily identifiable fungi here in Vermont, such as chaga, ganoderma tsugae, morels, chanterelles, etc. Today on my way back from work I noticed a cluster of very large, beefy white mushrooms poking up from the rich mulch around some cedar trees that were surrounded by a lawn. Their size was impressive, so I brought them home, hopeful I might identify them as edible. Sadly, the two books I have on mushrooms do not instill enough confidence to allow me to try them. I am hoping that someone here will be able to identify these! Near as I can tell, they are either Horse Mushrooms, or Meadow Mushrooms.
They are rather large, with the largest caps somewhere around 5" in diameter. They do not seem to turn any color where bruised. ( I read that bruised flesh that turns yellow indicates a Agaricus xanthodermus) The gills are dense, and white (in the young specimens) to light browish-pink in the larger specimens. There are veils on the stalks, as you can see.
Any ideas? I'm concerned that I may have Destroying Angels on my hands here, and my desire to stay in the realm of the living is a motivating factor for their proper identification!
Thanks!