Shelf Fungus - Nature Notes

I noticed this strange thing growing out of one of the neighbor's trees. I snapped a few pictures and started doing some research on the net. And, what I found out was that this is a shelf, or bracket, fungus. Shelf fungus is pretty common. It is the half-circle shaped fungus that you commonly see on fallen trees. BUT, this is a specific type of a shelf fungus called a woody shelf fungus, or a "conk." This thing really does look and feel like wood. According to my research these conks grow on trees for years and years getting bigger and bigger.

This one is about the size of a big dinner plate. I am sharing this on Nature Notes at Ramblingwoods.com.

It is not a coincidence that it looks as though a branch was cut right by this. The fungus spore gets into the tree at the scene of an injury - just as an infection would get into our body.