Here I am further researching the fungi I found, its pungent smell, and the fungi’s relationship to the environment around me.
The fungi found on these trees are actually a couple different species of fungi, even though they all look very similar. The most prominent being what I think are “Red-Belted Conk” fungi, and “Red Reishi” fungi, . Both the Red-Belted Conk and Red Reishi fungi are wood decay fungi, which means that they grow on decaying wood. These fungi, and other wood decay fungi produce extracellular enzymes and actively transfer carbon, nutrients, water, and oxygen, along highly branching hyphal networks. These fungi grow through the vascular tissue of the wood, breaking down and degrading the wood, also causing the wood to weigh less and have less strength. The pungent smell comes from the decomposition of the wood.
