Two for id, please

[jeremiah]

1) I thought these were tiny toadstools, but now I'm not even sure they are fungi -



2) On a broken stump a few feet away from water. There were more on a standing trunk next to the stump -

[Chris Yeates]

hi Jeremiah

top one shows podetia of a Cladonia lichen

bottome one shows dry jew's ear on Elder

best wishes

Chris

[jeremiah]

Thanks Chris.

By the way - how can you tell that the stump is elder?

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by jeremiah

Thanks Chris.

By the way - how can you tell that the stump is elder?

OK - call it an informed guess:
although Auricularia auricula-judae occurs on a range of trees, it is far commoner on elder; and that gnarly cluster of branchlets is classic elder; plus note that left hand branch and its broken end, that looks to have lost its central pith

so I may be wrong, but . . . . .

now you are going to tell me it was definitely something else?

best

Chris

[jeremiah]

"now you are going to tell me it was definitely something else?"

Wouldn't dream of it. The only tree I can identify from its bark is a silver birch.