David Humphries

Spangle galls from the gall wasp (Neuroterus quercusbaccaram) not really a health issue for the tree in my experience

Great picture Matty, sums up the camaraderie and essence of Arbtalk and it’s members really well.

Very sad to hear, Alan was a great forum character, my sincere condolences to his close friends and family.

Possibly the start of a Trametes sp Maybe T gibbosa

Are the fruit bodies not on a tree volume beneath the ivy, Murray ? Look a bit like Fuscoporia torulosa

Image not really close enough, but have a look at Coprinellus disseminatus (fairy ink caps)

You mean of course ‘pores’ 👍

That is a bit of a corker

I think the bracket has grown around the seedling, annual and perennial brackets grow rapidly during initial development.

Grows with apples and sorbus as well. Depends (as with most of these fung things) on vitality of the tree. Munches away at it nicely, not as significant as ash due to heartwood but often you can see wood pecker holes in the wood volumes in colonised areas and I've noted failed branches associated with it.

Someone needs a proper camera 😆 I'd imagine it's Inonotus hispidus, (Shaggy bracket) I see it on Walnut quite often.

Isn’t it ! I went to a heathland site yesterday where there were literally many hundreds of Fomes brackets, would be a fantastic site to study the combative nature of Fomes fomentarius and Fomitopsis betulinus in close and abundent proximity within the same wood volumes. Hope this finds you doing well Gary?

Hoof !

I can’t really tell to be honest but it ‘looks’ like a dried out slime mold like a Fuligo sp

any context images from further away?