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This is one hairy-looking ear, don't you think?  Zoomed out, it's actually a fungus shaped like a seashell, about the diameter of a quarter-dollar. I think the fungus is named "Stereum Ostrea", and the long-haired moss it is within is called "Shiny Seductive Moss". Gotta love the names those horny botanists choose!  Zoomed out more, here's a side-view of the fungus showing it's cone-shaped form. BTW, this was all shot 9/23/2022 in Stony Creek Metropark, in the woods along the northern edge of the East Lake Trail.  Zoomed way out, this is the whole log, covered in Shiny Seductive Moss that's eating the wood, with Stereum Ostrea Fungus also eating the wood. The hairy-looking ear I started with is exactly at the center of this photo, but I'd like you to please notice the nearest clump of 4 or 5 fungi to it's lower left.  Here's a closer view of those 4 or 5 fungi at it's lower left. Notice the two dots on the top edge of the small right-most "seashell", and third dot even further to their right.  Zoomed in, we see that those dots are actually bugs (beetles?) eating the fungi that are eating the wood. It looks like the whole family of beetles is getting into it, and there are two more of them visible in the prior photo: one left of center, and one above him (or her). Full Disclosure: I saw none of these at the time of shooting - they're just specks on a fungus that's smaller than a quarter. Sometimes surprises appear after I'm back home.  Lastly, I realize that the Shiny Seductive Moss has grabbed hold of you (as it certainly did me), so here's a closer peek at those erotic tendrils.  |