It was a hushed autumn afternoon, the air still carrying the scent of a well-established fall. The ground was nothing but a vast carpet of fallen leaves, blending pale golds with deep browns. As I lingered there, an island of orange silhouettes caught my eye: a small group of mushrooms, huddled together, emerging from the soil, unfolding their small, slightly sticky caps.

Their robust shape, honey-colored hue, and arrangement reminded me of the Poplar Pholiotes (Cyclocybe aegerita, formerly Agrocybe cylindracea), often found at the base of deciduous trees, especially poplars. But here, there were no stumps in sight—just the leaf litter, and these shapes emerging as if responding to a secret call from the ground.

Perhaps it was them. Perhaps not. Because in the pholiote family, some are edible, others frankly toxic - and all resemble each other closely enough to confuse the issue. This is why, even if the temptation of the basket could cross the mind, I remained faithful to my principle: that of taking only images, and of leaving intact what the forest has chosen to grow.