Laetiporus conifericola

Laetiporus is a genus of fleshy shelf fungi that are mainly saprobic but also will be parasitic, infecting the roots of aging trees and causing a highly destructive brown rot that causes trunks and logs to hollow out. The species common in Washington is L. conifericola. As the name suggests its hosts are conifers including firs, hemlocks, and pines. The mushrooms are bright orange with a yellow margin and pore surface when young. They are velvety soft and full of water until they age, dry out, and turn crumbly. The fan shaped mushrooms fruit extensively in shelf formations, with one fruiting potentially yielding 50 lbs of mushrooms. They are very delicious, although some people get gastrointestinal distress. These are often some of the first fleshy fungi to pop out in the late summer.