2009-08-15 Saturday Fungus

Our willow oaks in the front yard threw some more limbs down at us last week and I finally got around to cleaning them up today. I took my trusty bow saw, cut them up and took them to the curb. During the course of my sawing I noticed some very pretty fungus growing on one of the logs and set it aside until I was finished and could get my camera.

I am familiar with all the lichen (photo), moss and fungi we have everywhere (we're even growing lichen on the concrete sidewalk), but I hadn't seen this species before. It looks like something you would expect to find on a coral reef, but there it was in our yard.

I'm constantly amazed without venturing beyond our 1/3 of an acre.

Coral-like fungus.

Detail of the middle.

Wider shot showing the immature ones (upper middle)
that are fuzzy and just starting to develop the ribbing.
Those green, grassy looking blades appear to be growing out of the fungus.