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So we found these clusters of mushrooms, pretty big in size at around 4-8 inches in circumference, in a forest. The climate is pretty warm right now, around 50-60F, mid may in northeastern Wisconsin less than a quarter mile from a big-ish pond and river. I have done a large amount of cross referencing and research and heavily believe it to be Dryad's Saddle. All mushrooms we have found have been growing on either dead tree stumps or hardwoods such as boxelder maple and ash- which is already dead due to emerald borers. None are sprouting out of the ground. Young mushrooms are bulbous and growing near each other, and older mushrooms are harder with a more oxidized appearance and darker patterns. They all have the distinctive pores, which, when pressed, are moist and collapse easily, and the odd, strong, but VERY distinct cucumber/melon rind smell to them. The pores are very large with the older 'shrooms and miniscule with the young ones, which all get larger closer to the rim of the shroom. When ripped apart, they have dense foam-textured flesh that is slightly soft and squishy when pressed. I am 99% sure that this is the correct mushroom, but I am not being permitted to eating them as it is believed that I will get some sort of food poisoning and die. Reasoning and saying that I have cross referenced it many times and using the fact that there are no deadly look-alikes has proven unfruitful, so I wanted to get more opinions to show as proof. I would veeery much like to be able to cook this 'shroom, as the smell makes it seem like it would go well cooked into a fried rice with a sweet sauce of hoisin, soy, and sesame with some other seasonings and veggies. We also found some other types of mushrooms, but I am not at all positive on what they are or if they are edible. One does look like a puffball, but we are unsure.

This mushroom has come back for the second year since I've lived at this house. It grows on an old stump in my back yard. Could it be hen of the woods? Photos attached. The close ups are of the underside of the caps. I know maitake should have tiny pores, but if there are pores present on this mushroom, they are very tiny. My confidence bolstered by reading look-a-likes are harmless, I tried cooking some very small pieces. Though it smelled nice, the result was very tough. I gave up eating it when I couldn't easily bite though. Perhaps it's too far gone? I live in south central Wisconsin.