Called Slippery Jack, Chicken Fat or American Suillus mushrooms, these yellow beauties are thick under the
white pine trees in the Northwoods right now. After the season's substantial and slightly uncharacteristic storms the past few weeks, the soil was wet enough to hasten the fruiting of these lovely mushrooms.
They are most often associated with White Pines in the Northern MIdwest and Canada. They often have a slimy appearance when they bloom and tend to dry out a little and flatten out a little as they grow older. They live in harmony under the white pines in the forest and unlike so many mushrooms, they actually seem to prefer slightly drier weather and locations. Their bright yellow color is often found in late summer and early fall.
Are they edible? Well the internet reports they are but we STRONGLY encourage anyone that ever finds or picks a mushroom outside of a grocery store has it identified in person by an expert before ever trying to eat one. Mushrooms can be highly toxic and even deadly if mis-identified and ingested. If you are not 100% sure, please do NOT eat wild mushrooms. Most reports state that this mushroom needs to be skinned due to it's slimy coating and the resulting harvest is pretty paltry. In addition, it is not reported to have much flavor.
We're going to skip eating these but we are going to revel in their funky appearance and enjoy their bright yellow presence under the pines.