Pluteus cervinus (Schaeffer) Kummer 1871
This common wood-inhabiting mushroom can be found throughout all but the coldest months growing from decaying logs. It is a dull brown mushroom with a mostly smooth cap surface, thick white flesh and free close, broad white gills that become pink to salmon-pink as the spores mature. The stem is even except at the slightly enlarged base.
Its common name is the Deer or Fawn mushroom, not because of its brown color. It is a reference to the antler-like projections at the ends of sterile cells called pleurocystidia situated on the gills. Pluteus cervinus is a cosmopolitan mushroom that grows from decaying hardwoods and conifers and is seen most often in spring and autumn when cooler temperatures prevail. Although edible, it is not considered ‘choice’, and in any case needs to be cooked soon after picking as it tends to quickly spoil. It is in the Plutaceae family of the Agaricales order.