From the top, this whitish-grey mushroom is fairly unremarkable. However, when you look under the cap, the vivid purple gills of Laccaria ochropurpurea become visible. These mushrooms can get to be 10 to 15 cm tall. I encountered this specimen in the late summer growing near one of the streams in the northeastern part of the Rutgers Ecological Preserve. It was part of a widely spaced cluster spanning about thirty feet of the stream bank. This particular species is edible, although I do not recommend eating wild mushrooms unless you are very sure of the identification. Photo: Vikas Nanda