The slimy, red to a brownish cap, along with the gills that run down the stem, the slime veil sheathing the stem, the blackish spore print, and the yellowing base define Gomphidius subroseus, which is found under the douglas fir forests of Vancouver Island.
The cap can be up to 6 cm across and is rose-red to pale pink in color, it has a mild taste. Gomphidius roseus, commonly known as the rosy spike cap or pink gomphidius, is a gilled mushroom found on all of Vancouver Island. Although it has gills, it is a member of the order Boletales, along with the boletes. It has a red to brownish cap and can be found in conifer forests in autumn, sometimes you will find the mushroom Suillus bovinus located close by, it appears that the Gomphidius Suboseus is parasitic on this mushroom.
It can be found under coniferous forests in most of North America, but it is much more common in the pacific northwest growing in the douglas fir forests. Grows with conifers, especially douglas fir and can be found growing alone or in small groups, rare in eastern North America, more common in the Rocky Mountains, and grows all over the Pacific coast.
The cap is very slimy, and sometimes it is mottled with brownish to olive shades. The gills run down the stem and are pale at first, then become a smoky gray in color. The stem is up to 8 cm long and up to 10 mm wide, more or less equal with a bit of flaring to the base. The flesh is white in the cap and yellow in the stem. The spore print is gray to black. The Rosy Gomphidius Mushroom is edible, but there is not much flavor to it, none are particularly highly regarded, and caution is warranted due to their tendency to accumulate heavy metals.
It is always a pleasure to see the caps poking up from the moss, they are such a beautiful mushroom, from a button right up to mature specimens.