Turkeytails

I spotted one of our more attractive bracket fungi on my dog walk yesterday - Turkeytails.

The Turkeytail (Trametes versicolor) is a small, tough, bracket fungus that grows in tiered layers on dead wood - mainly hardwood, such as beech or oak. It is very common and can be found throughout the UK on rotting stumps and branches.

It forms semi-circular caps around tree trunks. The caps are thin and tough, with very clear, velvety, concentric rings of colour. Colours are variable mixes of brown, yellow, grey, purple, green and black, but the outer margin is always pale - either cream or white. The caps are often layered together, forming tiers.

The fungus and was once popular as a table decoration; at one time, it was even used to decorate hats. 
In Southeast Asian countries it has been used to make a tea that has supposed medicinal qualities. However, it's an inedible species and should be cooked for at leats 30 minutes before use. You also need to make sure that your ID is correct as some brackets contain chemicals that could upset your stomach.