This year’s ‘Fall Fungi’ is a shot I took back in the UK at the start of the year and is affectionately called ‘Jelly Ear’ (Auricularia auricula-judae). Whilst its name may sound like some kind of ear infection, it originated from its appearance – which was considered to represent rubber or jelly-like human ears growing on rotting wood. This is a type of bracket fungus whose tan coloured lobes can reach to around 10cm in diameter and it can be found year round growing in clusters in shaded wooded areas, primarily on decaying hardwoods. In some areas it is also known as ‘Judas’s ear’, which is a biblical connotation related to it being found on dead elder trees.
