Leonard Weber

October 9, 2023

This is the third consecutive fall that I have noted a number of large mushrooms (up to 8 inches across) growing on the same log near a woodland path in Eliza Howell Park. The mushroom is known as Black-footed Polypore.

The log is large and has been here for some time. It is approximately 18 inches in diameter and the bark is long gone.

Most of the mushrooms are on the top of the log, with only a few on the sides. The number of fruiting bodies has increased to about 40 this year. The distance covered on the log also appears to have grown, now about 22 feet long. (The photo here does not cover the full extent.)

The mushroom is called “Black-footed” because of the dark color of the stem next to the white under-surface, as can be seen when it is cut or broken off from the log.

Mushrooms that grow on wood are decomposers (or recyclers), helping to speed the return of the wood to nutrients for the soil. What we see is only a small portion of the organism. The large network of cells (mycelium) in the log digests the wood and decomposes it.

It is a long process. The log looks pretty much the same from one year to the next, just a little more decayed. The presence of the Black-footed Polypore caps each Fall is a reminder that change is definitely taking place within.

What I do not know is how long this particular mushroom will live in and on this log. It is well established now, but can we expect to see it again and again in the future?

The caps turn darker as they age and hang on into the winter. I expect to see bright and fresh new ones here next September, but the annual reappearance may well continue for more years than I will be able to observe.