The Blushing Bracket

Another fungus in fruiting mode.

The Blushing Bracket, Daedaleopsis confragosa, often grows on dead willow wood.  I found this little group on a fallen willow branch near number 16 in the old tree nursery.  If the underside is bruised it turns red - hence the name Blushing Bracket.

It is also known as the False Maze Gill because it has a pattern of pores on the underside similar  to the Maze Gill Daedalea quercina.

You may remember Daedalus from Greek mythology.  To escape from the Labyrinth created for King Minos of Crete he built wings for his son Icarus.  Unfortunately Icarus got over-excited and flew too high so that the sun melted the wax holding the feathers on his wings, and he plunged to his death.  So you can see the link to the fungus names of Daedalea and Daedaleopsis with their labyrinth pattern on the underside.