Orange Mock Oyster

With the help of someone from the Big Thicket Association I was able to identify this fungi that I came across in the Big Thicket. It is Phyllotopsis nidulans or an "orange mock oyster". It has a hairy cap, is not edible, has a foul taste and odor, and is widely distributed in North America. It grows shelf-like on the dead logs of hardwoods and conifers during the fall. This is just one of the many species of fungi found in this vast area.

Quote

"What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die of a great loneliness of the spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts soon happens to man."

Chief Seattle, 1854