Fungus? Or Alien Life Form?

fleabag

Hello,

Can anyone help identify a fungus I found growing on a dead tree yesterday? I've pictures of it but don't know how to attach so if someone could give me a hint - I did try but was asked for the URL of the photos and haven't got a clue what that is or how to find it.

Anyway I'll try to describe the fungus. It's basically like a pale whitey-orange in colour and looks like a pair of testicles, except there are three of them in the 'sac' instead of two. The 'sac' is soft and squidgy and attached to the tree by a whitish sort of ubilical cord.

Don't know the type of tree it's growing on. I think it's young at the moment and I'm waiting to see what it changes into but I'm impatient so if anyone can tell me what it is or how to get the photos up here I'd be very grateful. Thanks!

Mothman

If photos are on your hard drive, you can attach them

When you post reply, scroll down and find "Manage attachments"

If the photos are uploaded to a host, so that they can be viewed by others such as myself while browsing, then the URL is the bit at the top of page beginning with http://

It's different for every page you visit while browsing (with some exceptions)

fleabag

Thanks Mothman! Photos now uploaded.

Mothman

Interesting! and your description was quite good
The host doesn't look like a young tree, in fact it looks like a largish dead trunk....unless you meant the fungus was young...

Would you take regular photos and upload them?
I'd be interested in seeing the progress.

fleabag

Ha ha! Yep, they look like something you might see on Embarassing Bodies - but let's not go there.

The tree is a large dead tree, well-rotted, t'is the fungus that is still young. Will take a pic every day - the photo alf2-3 is in fact from yesterday when the 'balls' seem to be getting more defined.

Also on the same tree was this - first pic is an innocuous cauliflower-looking fungus. Next day it had 'melted' to produce a fungus puddle on the ground. Isn't Nature marvellous!

Velvet shank

could be the slime mold, Enteridium lycoperdon (false puffball)

fleabag

Here's a couple of pics from last night. Sorry they're a bit blurred, it was dusk. Definitely changing colour and getting more globular.

Mothman

Any update?

fleabag

Sorry for the silence - visitors staying over so haven't been able to nip out as often.
Anyway here are the latest photos - looking a bit puffball-ish? The forms are really hard now and the contents are solid, not powdery. I must add that it wasn't me that vandalised them, have tried to cover them with a bit of foliage so they're not as visible.

Any ideas yet?

fleabag

Whoops! Forgot photos - here they are.

littlebug

Intriguing:D
They are looking more puffball (or false puffball) like.. though I think that's what the caulilower looking one is too. I have little -no real knowledge of fungi though.

* I think the one on the right looks more like a bottom now.

fleabag

Haven't updated any pics because there's nothing more to show at the mo. Guess they are some sort of puffball so probably not much will happen until they're 'ripe'. When something else happens I'll post more pics.

Le King

Looks like Calvatia Gigantea.