Day 350: Before you get the words out of your mouth, I'll answer that question. Yes, it is. And no, I didn't. As I once told Arnie, it's against my religion to take specimens (with rare exceptions) or to collect the only one of something just so I can eat it. Sparassis crispa is not all that common, and according to the field guides, it is one of the most coveted of edible fungi to occur in the Pacific Northwest. Okay. Fine. It can stay right on that stump where I found it (I was hunting Chanterelles), and it can continue to live the rest of its natural lifespan in fungal happiness because it is beautiful and unique. No one else is likely to encounter this particular example because it was in deep, trailless woods, and I might not have seen it myself but for the direction from which I approached its stump. I do not understand the urge people seem to have to put everything in their mouths, but every time I post a photo of a mushroom on the Park's page, the first question I get is, "Is it edible?" Just leave it alone, can't you? Go eat blueberries or something.
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