Fungus

Yes, but also because of the shape, the red shine (from the pores) on the top of the stipe and the dark brown velvet cap.

Ben, See : Meripilus giganteus.

Some tree species specific ectomycorrhizal symbionts of endemic Betula species. 1. Betula pubescens 2. Tricholoma fulvum 3. Lactarius glyciosmus 4. Lactarius torminosus 5. Russula aeruginea 6. Russula claroflava 7. Cortinarius triumphans 8. Leccinum scabrum 9. Leccinum melaneum 10. Leccinum versipelle (= L. testaceoscabrum) ---

Old beechwood with different aged trees. Two more beech specific ectomycorrhizal macrofungi : 1. Tricholoma ustale 2. Ramaria formosa ---

Does anyone know, whether all old and veteran British and Irish Q. robur (and Q. petrea) are genetically identical and originating from trees from before the Roman invasion, or did the Romans succeed in "harvesting" all of the original British and Irish oaks too, even though they did not invade all of England and Ireland ?

After buttocks and Judas' ear, it's time to show what a nice Dutch style pollarded willow with lots of ferns (Polypodium vulgare) on top looks like. Apart from the ferns, one can also find plants, such as the bittersweet Solanum dulcamara and Common Honeysuckle, and small trees of elder or rowan, all with berries spread by birds, on top and different saprotrophic macrofungi on the dead wood and debris, together forming a habitat of its own. ---

Hunter, 1. The Holy Mushroom or Fly Agaric . 2. No Meripilus, looks more like mushrooms with cap and stipe, such as Honey Fungus (Armillaria species) or Collybia fusipes. 3. Myxarium nucleatum or an Exidia species, such as E. thuretiana.

David, No, it is not possible (nor probable), because M. giganteus IME is a biotrophic parasitic annual bracket fungus (see : the fairy tale of Meripilus). And no, not from roots from other non-infected trees, but from underground remains of the felled tree/roots, which still have living tissue in the main roots and/or in to the main roots connected secondary roots, the mycelium can make contact with in order to be capable of further degrading the buried dead wood, which is, just as in your pictures, the case in my : Photo 1 : FB's following the remaining partially living main (and secondary) roots after a beech is felled and the stump is totally removed above and underground. Photo 2 : FB's fruiting from main roots with living tissue of attached secondary roots with the dead stump of a felled beech in the background. Nota bene. I've in both (and other) cases checked whether there still was living tissue in the main roots and/or whether they were connected to living secondary roots. ---

Nice . Must be a (last) effort of panic fruiting from remaining roots with living tissue deep in the soil behind the wall, because FB's of annual fruiting bracket fungi always "look for" the easiest way out to open space to loose as little energy possible in producing FB's and spreading their spores. I once saw Merulius FB's breaking through a pathway with two heavy concrete tiles on their "heads", just as Agaricus bitorquis can be seen surfacing through pavement with a lump of tarmac on top.

Guy, Nice choice of words, a bit less choice of fungus as a symbol of listening, because this is Hirneola auricula-judae, the last part meaning Judas' ear !

Whatever method used, if you do it right, you may be rewarded by an ectomycorrhizal symbiont, such as this Russula olivaceoviolascens, doing an only once documented trick : fruiting at 2 metres height from adventitious roots growing towards the inside and into the debris gathered in the open top of the pollarded or "beheaded" trunk of a willow . ---

Because the L. amethystina mycelium associates with and follows the (adventitious) roots (of the oak ?), which have grown towards the base of the ash's (and hornbeam's ?) trunk to collect water and nutrients running down the ash's (and hornbeam's ?) stem, just as L. amethystina does in the final phase of the life cycle of old beeches to facilitate the seedlings of the "mother" tree germinating around the trunk's base in contact with the newly formed adventitious roots of the old tree by the hyphae of L. amethystina. Also see Acer - Scleroderma - Red oak.

David, 1. Nice one , would have been a first for me (jealous) . 2. Neither of both I think, it will probably have red pores : Boletus erythropus.

Which according to Jülich : "auf Erde, vermutlich aus Wurzeln oder vergrabenen Holz wachsend" (growing on the ground, probably fruiting from roots or buried wood), and Ellis & Ellis : "growing on the ground in deciduous woods, probably as a rule from buried roots or wood" should be correct.

Yes, I am . Yours is a hornbeam, isn't it ?

David, A nice case of activity of the arborist's little helper.

Someone came down by parachute and only left the cut cords behind ?

Not mine, but just as well a nice stack of spruce ready to be transported form the Dutch woods to the ... ??? ---

It usually fruits after the "work" is done, read the case story of the printing press !!!

Corylus species are ectomycorrhizal, C. avellana even has its own Lactarius species, L. hortensis (= L. pyrogalus). And all Sorbus species are associated with endomycorrhizal microfungi.

Tony, I'm sure you mean as long as you don't have it inside your house .

Tony, I know, but David from now on does .

Wet alder-wood. The last species shown is also associated with Salix. 1. Alder-wood in November 2. Alnicola (= Naucoria) escharoides 3. Lactarius lilacinus 4/5. Gyrodon lividus 6. Paxillus filamentosus (= P. rubicundulus) 7. Cortinarius uliginosus

Semi-natural beechwood with different aged trees. The last four of the depicted species also associate with oak. 1. Beechwood 2. Russula mairei 3. Russula fellea 4. Lactarius blennius 5. Cortinarius cinnabarinus 6. Cortinarius coerulescens 7. Hygrophorus eburneus 8. Hygrophorus russula 9. Craterellus cornucopioides

Natural or planted forests of European Pinus species represent a transitional type of open forest on poor sandy soils, which is preceded by a forest of broadleaved trees dominated by pioneers such as birch, rowan and bird cherry, and followed by a forest of deciduous trees such as oak, hornbeam and beech, accompanied by hazel. The tree species specific ecosystem of European Pinus species is characterized by a succesion of tree species specific ectomycorrhizal macrofungi, of which some examples are shown in the following photo's. The poorer the soil, the greater the biodiversity of lichens and/or mosses and symbiotic macrofungi. 1/2. Pinus sylvestris forest on poor sandy soil. 3. Amanita virosa 4. Tricholoma equestre 5. Tricholoma focale 6. Tricholoma myomyces 7. Cortinarius mucosus 8. Cortinarius uraceus 9. Rozites caperatus 10. Russula caerulea 11. Russula drimeia 12. Lactarius semisanguifluus 13. Lactarius deliciosus 14. Chroogomphus rutilus 15. Gomphidius roseus 16. Suillus bovinus 17. Suillus variegatus 18. Phellodon niger 19. Phellodon tomentosus 20. Hydnellum aurantiacum 21. Hydnellum caeruleum 22. Sarcodon imbricatus