Dead man's fingers

Hey, for the first time I feel fortunate to live in Iowa! :P Pouihi, I observed them until I moved away for college in mid-August. In that time, they did not change at all. I wish I could have seen if they changed after that as well. Thanks to all for helping with the ID!

Candice, wouldn't the scientific name be Xylaria polymorpha?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylaria_pol...

Ironic how we were discussing dead man's foot, and here this spotting is probably dead man's fingers!

Hahha I can't forget my first P. tinctorius encounter (http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/825...) ... it looked like the dropping of some kind of animal dropping, and for the longest time I stood there wondering if I should trust my gut and slice it open with my pocket knife. After praying to David Arora, I was so relieved that it was indeed a mushroom!

Hahha that's usually the prime season for hunting for urban mushrooms in my area, and Podaxis pistillaris popping up everywhere in many parks and neighborhoods is not very exciting after seeing the hundreth or so one.
And yes, I have no clue what these mushrooms could be... I've never seen them in a guide before, and they are strange indeed. A kind of mutated stinkhorn with a funky twist on the color would be all I could come up with.

Exactly what I was thinking pouihi! All we have where I live is a scorching desert by day and freezing temperatures by night... not fit for most mushrooms. You're very fortunate Megan!