Distracted by a pheasant’s back

I frequently drive through Brancepeth on my way to Low Barns and recently I’ve been watching with fascination the unfolding drama of this bracket fungus. This is Dryad’s Saddle (Polyporus squamosus), also known as Pheasant’s Back Mushroom, presumably due to the distinctive surface of the top of the fungus that you can’t see in this photo. It’s fruiting from a pruning wound on a sycamore tree (Acer pseudoplatanus) next to the main road in Brancepeth.

Dryad's Saddle or Pheasant Back Mushroom on a sycamore in Brancepeth
Dryad’s Saddle on a Sycamore

I’m passing this tree and fungus almost daily and watching with wonder to see if it’s just going to get bigger and bigger. Who knows, one morning I may drive by and discover it’s gone. Disappearing as suddenly and mysteriously as it arrived.