Artist's Conch

Description:

Flat bracket fungi about 200mm wide with a rusty brown upper surface and a clean white fertile under side,

Habitat:

Spotted on a dead tree stump

Notes:

Difficult to get close-up shots as this was in a fenced-off area in a nature reserve. The name "artist's conch" or "artist's bracket" was given to this bracket because the white underside can be marked and etched on. The etchings turn brown and last for a long time if preserved. Such brackets have been worked on as craft.