Levels #2
by Wild Thing
Title
Levels #2
Artist
Wild Thing
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
This mushroom/fungus grows in the tree in my front yard every year. I wait for it each year to see what shape it will take. This year, it has become a multilevel condo for the fae folk. Having researched it, I've found it's edible but also a warning sign that the tree may be in its last days. This news has made me sad. However, I won't take the tree down, but let it live its life out until such time as its life cycle has ended. Each year that it remains, I will continue to capture the beauty of this fungus that comes to visit.
Polyporus squamosus aka Cerioporus squamosus (yet to be confirmed new taxonomy) is a basidiomycete bracket fungus, with common names including dryad's saddle and pheasant's back mushroom. It has a widespread distribution, being found in North America, Australia, Asia, and Europe, where it causes a white rot in the heartwood of living and dead hardwood trees. The name "dryad's saddle" refers to creatures in Greek mythology called dryads who could conceivably fit and ride on this mushroom, whereas the pheasant's back analogy derives from the pattern of colors on the bracket matching that of a pheasant's back.
Edible. Young specimens are preferred, as they can become infested with maggots and become firm, rubbery and inedible as they mature. Cookbooks dealing with preparation generally recommend gathering these while young, slicing them into small pieces and cooking them over a low heat. Some people value the thick, stiff paper that can be made from this and many other mushrooms of the genus Cerioporus. The mushroom's smell resembles watermelon rind. Polyporus squamosus has a mild nutty flavour.
Uploaded
July 17th, 2017
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