August 31st – Fungi

An amazing Fungi seen on a tree whilst playing golf this afternoon.

I am pretty sure it is a bracket fungi, but there are so many different types.

Bracket fungi feed on wood, either as living trees or dead logs, and the brackets are their fruiting bodies. These form shelf-like structures singly or in groups and normally stick out from the trunk or branches though some develop from infected roots and appear at ground level. They can vary in size from a few centimetres to the giant polypore (Meripilus giganteus), which can reach 1m across. There are scores of different species including the gruesome beefsteak fungus that looks like raw meat and produces red juice when cut, and the more attractive chicken of the woods, which is bright yellow and a gourmet delicacy.

There’s a great web site to give more info here.