Beauty in the Mire

These unusual growths are Polypore fungi. Bracket fungi, or shelf fungi, are among the many groups of fungi that comprise the division Basidiomycota. See Wikipedia: Polypore. Quoting from the linked article:

Over one thousand polypore species have been described to science, but a large part of the diversity is still unknown even in relatively well-studied temperate areas. Polypores are much more diverse in old natural forests with abundant dead wood than in younger managed forests or plantations. Consequently, a number of species have declined drastically and are under threat of extinction due to logging and deforestation.

The article goes on to explain shelf fungi,

Bracket fungi, or shelf fungi, are among the many groups of fungi that comprise the division Basidiomycota. Characteristically, they produce shelf- or bracket-shaped or occasionally circular fruiting bodies called conks that lie in a close planar grouping of separate or interconnected horizontal rows. Brackets can range from only a single row of a few caps, to dozens of rows of caps that can weigh several hundred pounds. They are mainly found on trees (living and dead) and coarse woody debris, and may resemble mushrooms. Some form annual fruiting bodies while others are perennial and grow larger year after year. Bracket fungi are typically tough and sturdy and produce their spores, called basidiospores, within the pores that typically make up the undersurface.

I have always been fascinated by fungi, especially shelf fungi and mushrooms. I often wonder how different my life might have been had I pursued my interest and become a mycologist instead of an attorney. This is an area of study where a person could really make some major contributions.