Slugs, Some Fungus, and a Polypore on a Rainy Day

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I like being in the woods on rainy days.  The animals are not accustomed to seeing people and the sound of the rain drowns out a lot of the noises I make so I'm able to get closer to deer and other animals than I ever can on nice days.  When I startled a Turkey on Sunday, I had to laugh because I was only 20 feet away when it finally noticed me.  And even though I didn't get any good pictures of it, I noticed that it ran from me instead of trying to fly away... probably because it was just as soaked as I was.  I did follow it for a bit, but it lost me after heading into some thick brush.

Little Nest Polypore

Poronidulus conchifer

Little Nest Polypore is a shelf fungus that starts out looking a lot like a cup fungus, but as it matures it resembles a more traditional shelf fungus shape.  Even though it is not as colorful as other shelf fungi, the dark rings against the white background definitely caught my eye.

Tributary Confluence

It rained the entire time I was in the woods and even though it slowed at times, it remained steady enough so the creeks were starting to rise.  Where these two tributaries meet is one of my favorite spots in the woods and the hollows they drain are especially beautiful.  When I crossed them about 40 minutes earlier, the rocks I stepped on weren't submerged yet, but when I returned, they were under water, illustrating how quickly creeks, no matter how small, can rise.

False Turkeytail

Stereum ostrea

I thought I'd see some actual Turkeytails on Sunday, but no such luck.  But I did find this False Turkeytail on a dead log looking nice and healthy.  Plus the rain seemed to really bring out the maroons, oranges, and other colors, so it made for a good photograph.

Jelly Fungus

Tremella foliacea

Jelly fungus look just like drops of jelly clustered together and are typically found on dead logs.  This specimen was particularly wet so it looks especially unpleasant.  But, even though they look a little odd, there's several other types that are black, yellow, and even purple and they can be quite beautiful.

Red Banded Polypore

Fomitopsis pinicola

Red Banded Polypores are one of those "things" in nature that I wouldn't normally expect to be attractive to look at, but their red fringe against the dark brownish-black of the shelf bodies looked especially pretty with the rain adding a glossy finish to the cluster.

Spongy Tooth Fungus

Spongipellis pachydon

I've hiked past this Spongy Tooth fungus many times over the last few years and I've noticed that it continues to spread, taking over more and more of the tree and its trunk especially.  As a matter of fact, it's spread so much that it is actually working its way up the small branches and twigs coming from the trunk too, as you can see in the photos.