The Prankster and the Bread Tree!

Down by the pier, there is an old oak stump that has needed to be removed from the lawn for quite some time.  It has been there since a hurricane knocked down the tree.  The log was used as firewood but the stump remained to rot out on its own.  Now, years later, a fungus is helping to remove the stump!  A large clump of Bracket or Shelf Fungi is growing on the south side of the old stump.  It is quite large and is doing a great job of decaying the wood.  Bracket Fungi often grows in semicircle shapes stacked one on top of the other on the sides of trees, logs, stumps or any woody debris.  This habit makes it appear to be shelving or steps when growing on a tree! Some of the fungi are actually tough enough to use as a ladder if one is careful when climbing.  (Son tried this!)  Most are not large enough but ones like the Ganoderma are quite sturdy!  I do believe that this might be a Ganoderma!

When I spied the Shelf Fungi growing on the old stump, it took me back a few years to a time when the children were young.  Growing up on the Bayou, they were always exploring the woods or marshes.  My oldest son, Mark, was always the leader.  He was knowledgeable about so many things around the place and kept a careful eye out for any danger.  I never had any worries about the other two following along on these treks. I never had any worries until....they came home to inform me that bread grows on trees! Huh?  Bread does not grow on trees!  He had told the two younger ones that the Shelf Fungi was actually bread and that it would be good to eat! I was so happy to hear that his story was met with a chorus of "Ewwws!" from the younger two!  Now true, some Bracket Fungi are edible but I am not in the habit of letting my kids eat just any mushroom that grows in the woods!  From that point on, I made a point of telling each of them never..ever..to eat anything that they did not bring to me first!  Yep..my son, Mark, was and still is a great prankster and can tell you something with such a straight face that you want to believe him no matter how far-fetched the story is!  

Back to the Shelf Fungi and the old stump...it looks as if the stump will be removed by nature in the next few months.  It has become brittle with large chunks breaking off easily.  This winter, Michael can wield the ax to it an finish up the job that the Bracket Fungi began.  This is one of the miracles of nature at work making life easier for the rest of us!   Now..if I can just find that tree that grows bread...hmmmm!