Brown to Black
 This includes medium brown, rusty brown, dark brown, etc. but not pale tan. Look at mature specimens if you have a mixture! 
|
Purple
 You have a Mutualist, making mycorrhizal relationships with nearby trees. It's probably either a member of the genus Laccaria (pictured) or Cortinarius.
Exception: the blewit (Lepista nuda), pictured below, is a Saprobe, breaking down dead soil material or wood chips. It smells pleasantly fragrant, usually grows in large groups, and appears in the fall or occasionally early spring (in the Chicago region). 
|
Pale or Colorful
 This includes white, tan, pink, yellow, orange, etc. 
|
