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| False Turkey Tail - Stereum ostrea |
I took a walk at Wolsfeld Woods SNA today, near Long Lake. I had the place to myself, it being a rather chilly, windy, and rain spattered day. The woods looked quite bare, but still appealing; the ground was carpeted with various browns from the fallen oak and maple leaves, and since most of the leaves were on the ground I had a clear view of the completely appropriate for October grey sky. Despite the bareness and openness of the woods, I somehow felt comfortably enclosed and sheltered, with the sky and ground seeming closer together than usual. I suppose you had to be there.
I found many logs covered with False Turkey Tails,
Stereum ostrea, all bleached out in appearance due to the mostly dry weather we've been having I suppose. I knew it could be a more colorful fungus, so I tried an experiment; I sprayed one with water, taking a picture after each spray. The change was dramatic . . .
another spray (and waiting for the flash to recharge or whatever it does) . . .
more water . . .
one last spray . . .
It stayed this color for the ten or so more minutes that I hung around (nothing better to do than watch fungus dry).
