Lookalikes to rule out
False Chanterelle
cautionHygrophoropsis aurantiaca has thin, crowded, blade-like true gills and is orange through the flesh.
Jack-o'-lantern
toxicOmphalotus forms dense clusters on wood and has sharp true gills; chanterelles grow separately from soil.
Woolly Chanterelle
sickenerTurbinellus floccosus has a scaly orange vase shape and can cause gastrointestinal illness.
Identification
The underside carries blunt, forking ridges that run down the stem. They are folds in the mushroom's flesh, not separate gill blades. The flesh is solid, pale, and often pulls apart like string cheese. Young caps may carry a pinkish bloom over orange, although rain and age can wash that clue away.
An apricot-like odor is helpful supporting evidence, never a verdict on its own.
Uses and ecology
Rainbow chanterelles partner with conifers. They occur with Sitka spruce near the Pacific coast and Engelmann spruce in the Rockies. They are choice edibles when positively identified and thoroughly cooked; a dry saute helps drive off moisture. Like other mycorrhizal mushrooms, they are not practically cultivated.
Memorable fact
The rainbow-colored bloom is temporary, so mushrooms from one patch can look plainly golden after a week of rain.