Kveldssanger

Meripilus giganteus. Quick growers and quick to disintegrate. How was the crown looking? I suspect vehicles giving way and going over the root zone led to the fungus gaining entry to the butt.

The Volveriella looks lovely! Seeing a lot of Confistulina at the moment, including on a tree in the same location as it appeared last year; albeit much smaller, this time around. Curiously, just above (around 25cm away, and like your finds above) is a true bracket that will be able to sexually reproduce (assuming it doesn't abort). Me and Ali were discussing whether this asexual stage has something to do with the fact that the hyphae are isolated from other hyphal networks, thus making the production of spores via basidia (sexual reproduction) impossible. However, I remember reading in Mattheck's stuff that sometimes basidiospores will produce auxiliary brackets that create spores via conidia, even if from the same network of mycelium where at least two hyphal networks fused, though for exactly what reason I cannot recall. Perhaps an energy-related one, with spore birthing via basidia being more demanding. Do you know if Confistulina can still produce chlamydospores, though? Assuming it can, then the vector of distribution would largely be that of insects.

Look like Inonotus hispidus, Enteridium lycoperdon, and Pseudoinonotus dryadeus, respectively. Nice finds.

None yet, but for the oak I saw earlier (not the one above) I am arranging for some PICUS testing. Ultimately, because of the selective white rot induced by the mycelium, sound wave testing is probably the best way to ascertain the state of play, and particularly as a micro-drill will penetrate through any reaction and barrier zones and possibly facilitate further decay throughout the structure.

Certainly educational. No doubt woodpeckers and eventually bats would love that standing stem being decayed by the Inonotus, too - let alone insects that live on the bracket of the Inonotus itself (of which at least two are very rare species). Monolith it and plant some wild flowers around it, put a small sign up (get the kids to make it?), maybe a small fence, and bam, a realy cool scene that satisfies all parties - at very little cost.

Very nice shots. Scope to monolith it to keep the fungal habitat? Certainly reduces the risk hugely, at the same time.

...and the second half.

Here's a 'case study' from this year of the growth of one series of sporophores on a mature Quercus robur. Having spoken with some individuals who saw me take some photos of a nearby Fistulna hepatica, and who also like fungi, this Gano has fruited annually for the last few years; at the very least. The below series, split over two posts, spans from the dates 15/06/16 to 22/08/16, thereby showing how this network of mycelium has created a tier of sporophores over no less than 68 days. I admit, from some rather slow beginnings it really did begin to rocket away after a while, and reached its sexual stage (produced a hymenium) around the middle of July (no later than 14/07/16). In this sense, it took no more than 29 days to go from a tiny little cluster of mycelium specs to producing its own spores through its basidia. Some dates are clustered together as I was on holiday for a week and busy at other times (visited during work). The first week or August I did visit but got no photo from this angle - doh! If there is demand, I will upload the entire album (each set of shots is a good ten or so photos).

On the topic of species distribution, having spoken with a colleague who used to work up north, and having heard that it's somewhat uncommon (nationally, I would expect), I wonder whether its population is largely confined to the south east. I see it a fair bit, considering - albeit not so much when I was down in the New Forest, where I only spotted it twice, and both times of more open-grown trees not within dense stands of woodland. Interestingly, I admit I have only ever seen it once in a woodland setting, on an oak standard amongst a load of young hornbeam coppice. This begs the question: is its suitable host range that of open-grown broadleaved trees, in place of being one that prefers cover and damper conditions? In this sense, one could argue that the south east is very suited to the fungus, given the dry nature of the region on the whole. It would also then infer that the fungus is quite stress-tolerant, climatically-speaking - withstanding insolation, wind, and so on. Additionally, if the above is true, can it sustain a viable population in a woodland setting, where conditions are different and - most probably - potential hosts have a smaller root plate, little buttressing, and thus reduced viable substrate for the mycelium. Again, just a hypothesis.

Nice shots. I found some on an oak today, and sounded right above the brackets and it was as sound as could be. Beneath, however, it would have certainly been alright to put a kick pedal by and do some blasts. Such a characteristic of decaying the area beneath where the brackets form is potentially a useful strategy for the fungus, which tends to rot-out the lower butt and root plate region; at least on oak. It gives it some elevation, from where it can then sporulate from more effectively. Just a theory, of course, and would only apply to where the butt is rotting. Some to share from last year, too. Carpinus betulus host to a tier of Ganoderma resinaceum, perhaps 2.5m up the structure. An old pollard, is this hornbeam.

Thanks for the shares David and Greg. I have a massive series of photos to sort for one particular Gano resi on Quercus robur soon. I followed it from the smallest of primordial oozes up to its current megalithic stature, over the course of a few months. My find on poplar may be interesting, as it's certainly not a frequent association. I clocked it on lime down in Kent last year, though had no camera on me sadly.

I'd say that with the white flesh and cinnamon-orange-pink tube layer Rigidoporus ulmarius is probably it. I have seen it sort of 'mat' over an area of dysfunctional wood on Populus before, as well as having large tiers of sporophores, as seems to be the case here. There could be other fungi at play too, of course. Didn't spot Pseudotrametes gibbosa, however. As you say, the pore layer is far too different.

You find with this species that decay extends from the butt into the principal rooting system, thereby making the host eventually adopt an 'Eiffel Tower' look - assuming compartmentalisation is poor, and plane typically is quite good at defending itself from fungal pathogens. However, this fungus can break through the defensive mechanics laid down by plane, albeit less virulently than Ganoderma australe. In this sense, Schwarze, in his book entitled Diagnosis and Prognosis..., suggests that unless the tree is displaying outward symptoms of decline (crown density, vigour, etc), then it may be wise to simply monitor the situation. Granted, a major target zone beneath may prompt a crown reduction to remove some of the drag effect, though factor into account that the plane will need its leaves to create the energy required to combat the mycelium progressing within its structure (and grow / defend itself from other stresses / etc). Do you have more pictures of the tree, from afar, and showing crown condition and overall architecture?

Nice example of Ganoderma resinaceum, there. Not seen it associate with genus Platanus before, so thanks for sharing!

Here it is on a fallen Salix 'Chrysocoma' in Bushy Park. Lovely tree!

Haha it's cool dude!

Please do. Curious to know.

That looks like silver maple (Acer saccharinum). That could indeed be resinaceum, though the distinct brown to white contrast doesn't rule out Ganoderma australe in my opinion. Resi usually has a slightly tanned edge, as can be seen in my shots above, though this could just be spore-covered resi brackets making it appear as if it is australe. I have seen G. australe on silver maple before - twice.

Neat! Certainly weird. The one I saw hasn't come back this year.

I have seen it right at the base of trees before (mainly ash, though also on sorbi), and whilst I think it's certainly more than likely to be resi (colouration) it could be Inonotus in a more mature stage.

Absolutely!

This last bunch were taken today, and as we can see there has been a lot of growth in the last five weeks. Some segments of the sporophores are now beginning to truly lacquer and dry out, though there's a good amount of life left in these yet.

This second bunch were taken on 21st July, some two and a bit weeks later. We can see some decent amount of growth laid down.

To begin, below is a series of three sets of photos taken showing Ganoderma resinaceum on holm oak (Quercus ilex). The holm oak itself is certainly very old, and judging by its size compared to ones nearby that are just under 100 years old, it's likely at least 200. However, the confluence of stems on a short stem may skew the girth:age ratio slightly. It has been heavily pruned in the past, perhaps because of the fungal decay, and sits just behind a town centre. The shots below were taken on 5th July 2016. I would estimate that the sporophores had been growing for 1-2 weeks, at this point.

I recognise that third picture from Watson & Green's fungi guide.