Entries to Win Afghan

Sign up to receive the Books Leaving Footprints Newsletter. Comes out occasionally. No spam. No list swapping. Just email me! jhyshark@gmail.com Previous gifts include a short story, a poem, and coupons. Add your name, and don't miss out!

Thursday, May 29, 2025

Shining Candy Corn Ganoderma Tsugae


I believe I've solved a fungal mystery, and it makes me really happy because this is a favorite of mine, and now I love it in both early and mature stages.

On Tuesday, we saw all these fungal growths on a fallen tree.
young hemlock polypore


I immediately knew I was "on to" something. Especially when I saw the ones on the bottom of the log
young hemlock polypore


I saw these in the Adirondacks on the NCT hike. I called them 'Candy Corn' fungus. young hemlock polypore

At that time, I managed to determine that they are in the Ganoderma genus, but couldn't be certain what kind. Gano= shining, and Derma= skin. Shining skin fungus.

Now, I'm pretty sure this is the early growth of the Hemlock Polypore or Hemlock Varnish Shelf (because they are shiny as if they'd just been varnished). The log we saw Tuesday is a fallen hemlock, so that's a huge clue. And I know that the Hemlock Polypore is found in this area.

This is a young Ganoderma tsugae. Tsugae= hemlock. One thing for certain about just about all the mushrooms/fungi is that they can look very different at different stages.

So what's this look like when it's mature? I first encountered this one in 1998 in Wisconsin, where we nicknamed it the 'Rearview Mirror' fungus because they eventually grow out at an angle on a stalk. Doesn't look much like those candy corn, does it? underside of hemlock polypore fungus

And here is the upper side of a beautiful mature one. It really does look like it's been varnished. And it usually grows on hemlock. Many of the polypores are named for their preferred wood to inhabit. hemlock polypore

I love that I've figured this out, and I love the looks of this fungus in all its stages.

In other news, there's a Brown Thrasher flying around my yard, but I haven't been able to catch a picture. Did a good job of accomplishing computer tasks in the morning. Unloaded the concrete blocks and worked on gardens in the afternoon. Yeah me!

See Fun Guys Wear Brown

3 comments:

Ann said...

Wow, that really does look like candy corn

Sharkbytes said...

Ann- I sure thought so!

The Oceanside Animals said...

Lulu: "Our Dada says he would probably rather eat that candy corn fungus than actual candy corn."
Java Bean: "Ayyy, but he doesn't even know if the candy corn fungus is poisonous or not!"
Lulu: "Apparently that doesn't even make a difference."