Fungi Friday by @ewkaw : Hairy Curtain Crust (STEREUM HIRSUTUM)

Today’s mushroom is called Hairy Curtain Crust or more officially: STEREUM HIRSUTUM.
It sounds fancy but it is actually a very common fungus that grows on dead wood. You might walk past it without noticing but when you stop and look — it’s really beautiful! 😃

I found this little guy in a forest near the place where I live. It’s one of my favorite forests and I often go there in the autumn season to look for mushrooms — not always to pick them, sometimes just to enjoy and take photos. 😊

👉 The specimen I found was actually tiny and really hard to notice.
It might look big in the photos but that is only because I took them with a macro lens.

This fungus grows in thin, wavy layers on fallen branches or tree trunks. When it’s fresh it has warm colors like yellow, orange or brown and it looks kind of fuzzy or hairy on the surface. 😄 You can see that on my pictures. That’s where the name comes from!

It’s not edible — it’s too hard and leathery — but it plays an important role in nature by helping to break down dead wood.

🌿 A few facts:

– It grows on dead hardwood trees
– Very common in Europe but easy to miss
– It helps clean up the forest floor — nature’s little recycler!

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