Here you see an uncommon sight that looks like a mushroom or other fungus, but it is not. It’s commonly known as a Ghost Plant (or Ghost Pipe), Indian Pipe, or Corpse Plant and its scientific binomial is Monotropa uniflora. It’s uncommon because it often only appears in darker areas of the woods after a dry period has had its first rainfalls, although this image was taken yesterday in a sunlit area of the woods..
It is white-gray because it contains no chlorophyll, unlike most plants. Thus, it can’t obtain energy from the sun, so it indirectly steals energy from trees. That is, it is a parasitical host to fungi that symbiotically get energy from trees. Because it doesn’t need sunlight, it often appears in darker areas of the woods.
Special thanks to excellent photographer Werner Gantz for pointing this plant out. (Brooklin Maine) Click on image to enlarge it.