True and false

Turkey tail mushrooms are tricky for a novice like me to identify. I see them in the woods often and find them interesting to look at, but have never taken time to learn about them. Even after researching information on turkey tail mushrooms, I remain a novice.

My research tells me true turkey tail mushrooms grow off of dead wood. They can be found on several continents of the world, and they have several bands of various colors with the outer band being the lightest color. In this photo that I took in late November, the true turkey tails are the ones that fan out similarly to a real tom turkey in full strut.

The orange colored fungus at the center are called false turkey tail mushrooms. False turkey tails can come in various colors, but individuals are of a single dominant color such as orange, brown or solid white. Although both true and false turkey tail mushrooms are said to be edible, I do not encourage anyone to eat wild mushrooms without 100% positive identification.