Fungi to observe · Trametes versicolor
Discover turkey-tail fungi
Colourful rings on little fans: Flauschi spots turkey tail fungus. Puschel looks closely; despite its name, it has no feathers!
The short answer
Thin fan-shaped fungal parts grow from wood, often overlapping, with curved colour bands. These visible parts are fruiting bodies; many fungal threads stay hidden in the wood.
See the connection
Simplified drawings, not to scale. Not a guide for identifying species.
An imagined Wusel scene
Puschel and Flauschi investigate
Puschel finds lots of little fans on a fallen log. Puschel“How many are there?” he asks. Flauschi notices the differently coloured bands. They count from a distance and leave the log undisturbed.
Fungus facts
Three things to notice
Shape
The thin fruiting bodies grow as overlapping fans from wood.
How it lives
Several curved bands of colour appear on their upper surface.
In the forest
As a wood-decomposing fungus, turkey tail helps break down dead wood.
Try explaining it
Which part of the fungus often stays hidden in wood?
Choose a), b) or c), then explain your choice.
- a)A thick plant root instead of the fungus itself.
- b)Fine fungal threads.
- c)The visible colourful fans mistaken for wood.
Show the explanation
Correct: b): Fine fungal threads.
Fine fungal threads grow through the wood. The visible fans are fruiting bodies that produce spores.
Word help
- spore
- A tiny unit that helps fungi or ferns spread. In suitable conditions it can start further development. It is not a seed.
- mycelium
- A network of fine fungal threads, often hidden in soil or wood.
- pore
- A tiny opening. In pore-bearing fungi, these openings lie underneath the fruiting body.
Explore in more detail
Here you will find longer explanations and further details. You can explore them together.
Why do the fans grow on wood?
Turkey tail uses dead wood as a source of nourishment. Fine fungal threads grow through it and help break tough wood materials down. The visible fans are fruiting bodies. Tiny pores underneath open into tubes where spores form.
Compare and understand
The coloured bands suggest butterfly wings or a turkey’s tail, but are not animal wings. Coloured bands alone cannot identify the fungus: similar fungi may have different undersides. This page explains wood decay; it is not a collecting or tasting guide.
An optional question for further exploration
You can use the longer explanation above. This is extra, not needed for the first quiz.
Mini quiz
An extra question
What connects the turkey tail’s colourful fans with the old trunk?
Show answer
The fungus grows on dead wood and helps break it down.