I’ve been walking these New Hampshire woods for a long time now-close to fifty years-without ever seeing a black fungus. This year it seems like I’m suddenly seeing them everywhere. The latest I found- growing on a dead limb-are in the photo below. This was before the recent snowfalls of an inch or two. 
These look brown in the picture, but when I found them they looked black. I think the color shift must be because of the way the sunlight is hitting them. Now that I see them in the photo, they look like a fungus known as Jew’s Ear (Auricularia auricula-judae), so named, as the story goes, because Judas Iscariot hanged himself from an elder tree. “Judas’s ear” was later shortened to “Jew’s ear.” These were growing on oak, not elder, and I prefer brown jelly ear to Jew’s ear. It could also be brown witch’s butter (Tremella foliacea). Not being able to positively identify it is frustrating.
A further source of frustration is in the photo below-another jelly fungus that I’ve not been able to identify.
I wrote about these in December when I found them but still haven’t been able to positively identify them. As I said then, I think these might be Black Bulgar (Bulgaria inquinans.) Common names for Black Bulgar include gum mushrooms, jelly drops, rubber buttons, or pope’s buttons. They could also be black witch’s butter ( Exidia glandulosa.)
Not being able to identify bits of nature gets me frustrated because it usually isn’t that difficult; I’ve been doing it since grade school. But, as anyone who studies nature knows, now and then a wild thing appears that can be almost impossible to identify. A good field guide helps, so I bought a better one than the one I already had for mushrooms.
This is an excellent book for anyone who wants to learn more about mushroom identification, but the section on jelly fungus wasn’t much help in my quest. 
To be fair to the book though, the jelly fungi are one of the most complicated groups and often can’t be completely identified without a microscope. To make things even more complicated, many slime molds go through a jelly like phase.
So, to lessen my frustration over not being able to identify these unusual forest dwellers, I’ve decided that from now on I’ll just enjoy seeing and getting pictures of them and leave the identification to the experts.
I’m having the same problem identifying this fungus. I found some in the woods over the weekend and I just can’t be sure. I forage for mushrooms, but unless I ‘positively’ ID it, I’m not eatin’ it. That said, I picked oyster mushrooms from the same woods that have since been dried until I get enough to make a delicious batch of wild rice and mushroom soup.
I agree, I wouldn’t eat any mushroom unless I was certain it was safe. It sounds like your soup will be delicious. Thanks for stopping by.
It looks like Brown Witches Butter. I am currently harvesting it here in Northern New Jersey on dead branches found on the ground. I mostly find them on fallen red oak branches, but also occasionally on other deciduous branches.
They look very much like Yellow Witches Butter. If they are single disk looking they an Ear jelly. All three aforementioned are edible. If it is very dark, and more brain-like, then it may be a Black Jelly Roll, Exidia glandulosa, which I do not know the edibility of. I have read that Brown Witches Butter is a folk remedy for throat conditions. I eat the edible Jellies cut fine in soups, stews, and omelets. The bottom photo looks like an old, past prime specimen. I only eat firm, amber brown translucent specimens as a personal preference.
Happy Foraging !! 🙂
Thanks for the identification Joseph. Good Hunting!
I have always found fungus identification to be a challenge, and I almost never declare an id positively. Which is a big reason why I do not forage for mushrooms.
I have that first one at my place too. Your id is as good as any I would be able to provide, and probably better.
I’m with you on that. I’m not a huge fan of mushrooms anyhow, but even if they were my favorite food I wouldn’t be confident enough in my identification ability to ever eat one. There’s just too much to lose for a bite or two of something tasty.
I agree enjoy the character and oddity. If you are like me a year from now you would have to look the name up again due to haven forgotten it.
That’s what I have been doing for years, letting the experts argue about the identification of some species I see.
You’re a wise man.
The “helper” in me who enjoys helping others learn about plants and nature says ignoring identification is wrong, but the rest of me agrees wholeheartedly! I have to spend more time not trying to remove the mystery from life.