Oak Bracket fungus

The oak bracket, Pseudoinonotus dryadeus. This is a butt rot fungus, degrading the root system at the base of trees and killing them, often causing them to topple over rather than becoming a snag that stands for years. They are also called the weeping polypore because when young they exude lots of brown droplets of liquid called guttation. They can be quite large!

This specimen was found on the Blue Square Trail at the Long Ridge Conservation Area, Sullivan, Missouri. This image is part of the article Trailheads: Portals to the Fungal Dimension.