Trametes versicolor

or Turkey Tail - but far too often that's just used as a catchall for any bracket fungi. There's a clue in the name as to why; as the name means thin & many coloured - and these common but beautiful fungi do come in a variety of shapes and a lot of colour variances. However - with practice you can tell - as with most things it's in the details;
Is it really thin? (ideally 1-3mm)
Are the pores really really tiny? (3-8 per millimetre!)
Do they stain when bruised? (shouldn't)
Is the underside white to cream?
Is the top surface finely haired?
Is the fruit body flexible? (should be)

& then sadly - when you've gone to all that trouble - it's too tough to eat! But you are at least a little wiser.
Interestingly I was drawn to these by noticing the woodpecker making a new nest cavity - probably far too earlier - everything in nature seems confused at the moment but I'll keep an eye on it for future blips.

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