Learned something new today!
 

While outside today cleaning up landmines left by 5 dogs......lol I discovered some rather ugly guests in my yard, they come back every year. Sometimes several times at different places around the yard especially near pine trees. They pop up all over this area as well as other states. (see the Wiki link for more info)

Both my husband and I have been curious about them and pull them up when we spot them growing. So today I sent an email and the photo below to the Horticulture Faculty for Central Oregon at Oregon State University Extension Service. And they wrote back with an answer, it's called a Pinedrop (Pterospora andromedea) and it is a parasitic fungus that grows from the root of pine trees. They said it was NOT harmful to the trees, which was good news.

Here is the Wiki link as well as some images and a search page from Google.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterospora

https://www.google.com/search?q=Pter...bLpDeUQiR4IiQE

https://www.google.com/search?q=Pter...bLpDeUQiR4IiQE

I wonder if they're indigenous to the American Canadian areas only.?

Never seen that before in So Ca.

I lived in Oregon for many years and remember those well. They were fine in the forest but I did remove them from the yard as they are ugly!

That is so interesting. I have never seen anything like it. We have mushrooms that grow after too many rains here in the Deep South, but none that ever get very tall. That is sooooo cool!

i don't find them them to be unattractive at all! i think they're fabulous looking & the google images showed them w beautiful, delicate blossoms. i don't have pines here in my yard, but if i did i eould keep the dogs away until they bloomed & finished their life cycle. they're gorgeous!!​

Good that they're not harmful to the tree. They're kind of pretty for a fungus.

Hey, Barb. I think they're pretty cool, too. But sure glad we don't have them here. My hubs goes nuts over the mushrooms that pop up overnight during the rainy spells.

I used to see those when we went camping in central California. Never knew they were fungus, just thought it was a flower. Thanks for the info.