Q: We found on our deck banister a brightly-colored fungus. It is about three-eighths of an inch high. Are you able to identify it?

A: Wow….very cool!

Mary Woehrel, leader of The Mushroom Club of Georgia, says “Looking at these closely, they appear to have fan-shaped tops. These most likely are “Fairy Fans”, probably Spathularia velutipes, although there are several different kinds, some more yellow than others.

They usually fruit in clusters or groups on rotting hardwood and under pine. August to September is the right season for them: a very pretty mushroom!”