Indian Pipe

We were hiking on the southern shores of Hayward Lake, the sun was all but hidden by the dense forestation, when we came upon a knoll covered in small shrubs and plants that only grow in low light conditions. There, at the base of a filtered shaft of sunlight, something caught our eye. They were very fragile and reminded us of mushrooms, but were albino-like flowers. I took a few photos and later searched the internet for a clue as to what they were. I had no luck, so went to a university botanical sight. I up-loaded the pictures to one of the experts who would respond to my email. He was quite enthusiastic and told me I had come across a very rarely seen variety of 'Indian Pipe'. Very unusual to spot because only very rarely are the conditions just right for them to bloom and when they do, they come up very quickly and then deteriorate and fade just as quickly.