Coral mushroom

The first time I tried marriage on for size, the two members of this ill-fated couple discovered that we just didn't fit. We were, however, ardent naturalists and early in our attempt to forge a lasting union, we went mushrooming and found, to our delight, a patch of coral mushrooms that we identified correctly—it's hard to confuse them with much else—harvested, prepared, and ate. Would that our brief subsequent time together had been as delicious, and while I've purged the less pleasant memories from my brain, I still manage to recall that fungus discovery every rare time I run into land coral. Just the smell of a big patch of Clavaria, as these unmushroom-like species used to be called—they've now been taken out of their once-convenient taxonomic basket—triggers that memory, and it brings a smile. It also makes me salivate, for many of the corals are granted "Edible, Choice" status in the field guides. This one, alas, was a bit past its prime, so I left it in the woods: definitely food for my thoughts, as well as sustenance for other critters.