#spalting

[cosmicyeen]

OKAY SO I FORGOT TO FINISH THIS POST but basically a few days ago i was wandering the Locations and came across this tree, ive been familiar with it for years but this time i saw something fleeting and incredible:

A BIRDS NEST FUNGUS

Growing out of the dead outer bark layer!

I've only seen these once before; an almost steely dark species growing on the ground near the chicken run. The irony of seeing a birds nest fungus *in a tree* is also pretty lovely.

The funnel-shape of the nest and the "eggs" inside are a part of its dispersal method. A raindrop falls into the cup, and splashes the spore packets up the sides and outwards.

Anyways, i kept looking at this tree, and saw something else cool. Among the incredible variety of colors from reds to greens to grays and everything in between, there are these black lines snaking through the bark fibers

Faint, almost hairlike. These are called Zone Lines and are the defensive barriers put up by fungi as they spread and need to defend their resources from other fungi. When it occurs in wood, it's known as spalting, and can be quite beautiful when carved.

This made me think of what i've heard about zone lines from folks while going on nature walks, and i remembered there's this area of wood that looks a lot like one i've heard discussed.

Basically, if you picture a log, with different fungi growing on it, you end up with a 3D matrix of zone borders all intersecting in unique patterns. Some fungi burn out quickly, eating into the wood and turning it into spores and dirt and crumble away; all the while there are other fungi that are secluded in their whimsical 3D shapes long past the decay of the other fungi.

What do these look like? Something like this:

three dimensional zone lines! A dark black/brown matte surface keeping the fungus defended as it chugs along slowly, breaking down its territory staked out long ago

Breaking open the wood shows this border/digestion area distinction:

I've got no idea how long this particular variety takes to decay. I've seen this wood here for years just like other rotting logs, but it was only about a year ago that i learned what makes it look the way it did!

Something that *was* new to me was this, though:

I saw this strange pattern of speckles, almost bubbly, scaly looking patches underneath the barrier. I havent seen this before, nor do i know what it is. Maybe it's the fruiting body of this particular fungus. Maybe it's a defensive wall put up against some foreign invader. Maybe it's a holdover from something in the life of the tree that the fungus simply grew over.

Whatever it is, it's quite fascinating.

This all made me go look for other cool decomposition patterns. I came across this whiterot oak branch that had fallen. Rotted oak like this is great for giving to rolly pollies as a snack, especially when very crumbly. But this time i was interested in the almost imperceptible hairs snaking through it as well:

it hides quite well in this branch, especially because the walls like to form in alignment with the wood's natural grain. But running through the center from top to bottom there *is* a zone line.

it's slightly more visible from the top, where you can also see the slight color difference between the two zones thanks to the different chemical compositions/byproducts of the competing fungi

It really is just so cool. wars raged beneath our feet in branches we may throw aside or even burn.

Here's an old post oak stump; for a few years it's been here and we used to use it as a surface for splitting firewood. now large channels have rotted away and the surface has taken on that dark fungal look.

this final pic is down one of the channels that's decayed into the tree. It appears that all the elements of water, bugs, fungus, *decay* have all hollowed out a matrix that follows along down into the tree roots themselves.

It's a lot deeper than the ground surface. I've seen chipmunks go in and out of it as well. I can only imagine there's a whole luxury burrow complex down there.

Some pretty interesting stuff to see out there. Hope this was a good summary!

[germanpostwarmodern]

House Draxler (1987-88) in Nussdorf am Attersee, Austria, by Johannes Spalt. Photo by Margherita Spiluttini.

[browngonzo888]

I made these

[cistota]

Proč sakra potřebujeme rodný list.

To někteří lidé chodí nedůvěřive po světě a nedůvěřivě nevěří, že ses narodil?

[langernameohnebedeutung]

Ich bin bei Tirol on this one, ich integriere die zweite Spalte ab jetzt in mein Vokabular.

[fuckblast]

God she's sexy

[brandybradyrandyandyndy]

Wake up besties, ich hab nen neuen GZSZ wiki Artikel gefunden 🤩

[sagehaubitze]

wood break, I heard you guys like wood

[handweavers]

did i ever post about the 2 handmade scottish-style spindles (dealgans/farsadhs) i bought the other month i love them so much. they are just hunks of spalted wood with a nob at the top and they are my best friends now. my chunky scotch lads

[germanpostwarmodern]

Lounge Chair "Independence" (1970) designed by Johannes Spalt and Karl Wittmann for Wittmann Möbelwerkstätten

[darkaudi]

The Splat (The Backrooms)

Entity 59: it is a creature with multiple eyes, hostile and very dangerous, it hides in the corridors of level 5 (and similar) where it awaits its victim to then capture and devour it. In this drawing I wanted to create my own version of this creature where I added a big mouth to give it an evil look.

[darewolfcreates]

Reunions and such.

[justwalkiingthedog]

Castle Glen Maple … from the archives … #dancingfrogstudios #local #oneofakind #wormwood #spalted #woodturning https://www.instagram.com/p/CnIaMdHrIyp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[villy-woodturning]

Woodturning - Never judge a log by it's cover

I Would never have thought this old and punky maple became this beautiful and with the padauk I let you see the rest 

 thanks for watching villy 

 The road to get 100 000 subscriber before 2024 : we are at 57 021 / 100 000 🥳 thanks you so much 

 All the shop have discount Etsy shop: https://etsy.me/3rDF97y 

[rabih-saad]

Studi R corner..Left Guerilla guitar canadian customshop...Right Kiesel UltraV customshop.

[ade966]

A live edge,spalted cherry bowl 15cm in diameter and 8.5cm high. Turned on Axminster 355wl, finished with Chestnut Microcrystalline wax #woodturners #woodturning #woodturninguk #liveedge #liveedgebowl #liveedgecherry #woodcrafts #turningwood #axminstertools #chestnutproducts #handmade #crafting #handcrafted #essexcrafts #woodturningessex #essexturning #essex #crafts #essexcraft #spalted #spaltedwood #spaltedcherry ##cherrywood https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck_MJyAMJR2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=