Great Lakes region, USA. September 5, 2026.

From a distance I thought it was a COTW. It's definitely not. Probably something in the Hericium genus? Supposedly they promote nerve growth.

Looks like Lion's Mane. I'm no expert though. Very cool either way!

I thought Lion's Mane too, but there are a few others that are similar.

This looks to be H. americanum. H. coralloides has more of a branched structure (like coral) and also has finer teeth than pictured here.

It is a Hericium nonetheless. This one is a bit too old to harvest.

This is pretty conclusive as H. Americanum, but you’re 100% free to call it Lion’s Mane outside of academic discussion with a mycologist.

All the similar Hericium species in this cluster are edible and cook similarly, so any further distinction is a matter of taxonomic interest rather than culinary — kinda like how P. Ostreatus is “the” oyster mushroom, but there are additional species (e.g. golden oysters) that fall under the common-name umbrella of “oyster mushrooms”.

They're delicious. The one time so far that I found bear's head tooth in the wild, I only found a small one that fit in the palm of my hand. I fried it up, nevertheless, and when I woke up the next morning, my brain felt pleasantly tingly. Regardless, I'd be happy to see it for taste alone.