Rewilding My Lot

Polypores, also called bracket or shelf fungi, form sturdy horizontal structures called conks on trees (living and dead) or coarse woody debris. The underside of each conk is a layer of vertical tubes that open downwards, and the upper layer supports and attaches the tube layer to its substrate (wood).

There are several groups of polypore conks growing out of pecan logs in the garden here. I don’t know exactly when these fungi started to appear, but I think it is at least a year ago. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to identify them. As the polypore shelves grow bigger, they sometimes show distinct ringed markings (like growth rings), which then fade.

I have recently observed an interesting phenomenon with these polypores where sunflowers germinating underneath as they grew have pierced and penetrated the brackets and just kept right on growing through them. This demonstrates the rigidity and strength of attachment of the fungi, and the piercing force of the sunflower plants. Neither one was going to yield!