Last Monday and Wednesday were holidays here in Poland, so I took three days vacation and happily wasted the entire week, but at least yesterday I spent four hours striding through the Mokrznia forest. It looks significantly different now than usual, since many plants that normally make it hard to move and observe are still in their budding phase. As expected I have not encountered too many mushrooms, I did encounter many animals though. Since it is already this late, I have to leave it for another article (maybe), for now let me focus on the topic of this community.
This is my last minute contribution to #FungiFriday by @ewkaw
It seems to be a recurring thing in that forest, at least in some areas with more sand - the big tree is toppled by the wind, with its wide roots still clinging to the soil, but the entire root system is now up in the air. When falling, such tree takes down with it two to four smaller nearby trees, some refusing to die despite being crushed to the ground.
On one of such pile I've found yellow blobs, some turning darker with age.
Technically not a mushroom, but a reproductive form of false puffball - a type of slime mold.
These were also growing on the same tree, but since they are old and shrivelled they don't count.
As a side note, I was already going away, but I returned to make a poke test for @ewkaw 😜 - it was cold, squishy, returning to its original shape after couple of seconds, as if it was partially dried paint with thin solid skin, but still liquid content. I was under impression that if I poked it harder, I'd find myself covered in slimy goo.
Ok, so that was not a mushroom, let's look further.
Nah, kind of fungi, but mixed with algae, so not really. A trumpet cup lichen, not too many cups developed yet. I need some actual mushroom.
After running into some very small (why did I leave my macro lens at home when I need them?) or unsightly single mushrooms, I've finally found these in one area.
Even though their looks vary, I'm pretty sure these are all tinder conks, that I've already shown two weeks ago. Not good, not good.
Surprisingly there were not too many of them. Perhaps they are picky as to what they eat - those last time ate birches. Here even though many older birches look like on the following picture, they are still very much alive and kicking. The only fallen birches I've encountered were either remnants of the ones that were cut or those that were knocked down by other larger trees.
Finally!
Google gives couple different matches, but all in Psathyrellaceae family. My pick would be this one. It was growing near the trunk of a fallen tree.