Ramaria
This lovely coral mushroom may be a bit older than she looks. These fungi grow, change form and color, and edibility as they age in the field. This probably emerged in June sometime. Collected in late August. This is an old and faded version of Ramaria botrytis; younger and more typical specimens were found nearby. The Ramarias were not a winner in the taste test.
Both images are of Ramaria rubripermanans, This mycorrhizal species is found in northern Idaho and northwestern Montana in lower wetter areas with mixed conifers like Grand fir and hemlock and perhaps deciduous. This group of fungi has edible and inedible species, and caution is advised on both identification and edibility. Chemical reagents are used to evoke stain responses in the tissue, thus the name, and microscopic examination of the spores and tissue are used to identify these tricky and similar-looking fungi.
A common spring Ramaria in lodgepole-subalpine fir zones is Ramaria rasilispora.