3:00 snapshot #1109

3:00 snapshot #1110

This photo is secretly funny because she's actually about a foot taller than me.

100 More Species #67: Exidia recisa

Exidia recisa is the brown growth on this stick blown down by Superstorm Sandy; lichens also adorn the bark.

Exidia recisa is a brown translucent jelly-like mushroom that appears on the dead twigs of hardwood trees. It's strangely missing from many field guides, despite being completely ubiquitous, at least in our area. It's especially easy to find after a storm--the rain (or even wet snow--this is a year-round species) makes it appear, and the thin weak branches on which it grows break easily in the wind. When it dries, it shrinks to a crispy black crust, but if it gets wet again it will absorb moisture and return to its gelatinous, spore-producing form.