Pretty poly

Some bracket fungi appear in summer then disintegrate, but others are sturdier and last longer, becoming more visible when deciduous trees lose their leaves. This abundant species is in the latter category. Another name for it is birch polypore – the underside of its fleshy ‘fan’ lacks the gills found in many fungi, and instead is covered in pores, which scatter spores through the air. Birch rots fast because its heartwood (the tree’s dead core) is not hard, ensuring there is plenty of decaying wood for the birch bracket to colonise.

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More about British fungi: plantlife.org.uk