Craterellus cornucopioides
Summer wild foragers know one thing is really obvious when it comes to hunting for Black Trumpets (Craterellus cornucopiodes). These dark, flowerlike mushrooms have no intention of being spotted among the forest rocks and leaves.
But you’ll want to look anyway.
We think this is the best-tasting mushroom in Illinois, even better than morels. Yet it requires trained eyes and focused study before finding enough to eat.
In the end, no matter how long it takes to find enough to eat, you will not regret any of that effort. Black Trumpets are a personal favorite of major chefs worldwide.  
You can learn more about this mushroom, along with 39 other edible wild mushroom species found around Illinois, including potential look-alikes, in the new book “Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States” (2009 University of Illinois Press).