The Chinese love them

The rather unflattering moniker for this mushroom is Jew's Ear.  It is not very popular in the West but I know it to be edible- it is mild in flavour. The Chinese are very fond of them and I think you will find that they know how to cook better than us!

These mushrooms exploded on this dead branch within 48 hours- as you may know by now, I walk through these woods daily. The spores travelled upwards right to the top of the branch. Upward trajectory is unusual in my experience as the mushrooms tend to grow alongside each other and quite low down on the ground on fallen and rotting wood. Perhaps the wind that day was heading north only. - see the last photo.

I have regaled you with a photo of the underside of the mushrooms too. I must say they look healthy and tasty, don't they! I am equally stunned at how they are flourishing when the temperature is barely above 0 degrees C in the day and minus 5/6degrees C at night.

Photos at dawn today. Copyright SvD.