Scarlet Bracket Fungus - 1

Description:

These bracket fungi were a deep orange; photos show them as being golden. each bracket was about 4 to 5cm wide with a slight sheen on the upper surface and spongy-looking with pores on the underside. The fungi were found growing on the dead limb of a black wattle. There were multiple wood borer holes (about 2mm wide) alongside the brakets and it appeared that many of these holes were "plugged" by fungal mycelia ( pic #2)- it seemed as if the fungus was "oozing"out of the holes !.

Notes:

The tree bearing the fungus is quite exposed - on the outer edge of a garden, near the road. I wondered if there was any connection between the wood borers and this fungus. I have read that fungal spores might settle on the dead /decaying outer margins of holes made by borers and this is adequate to start the fungal growth. In this case however, the fungus seemed to be coming out of the holes and then expanding to brackets. I welcome any expert advice/information about this. Also, I am hoping my ID is correct !! some interesting reading: http://www.anbg.gov.au/fungi/aboriginal....