Polypore mushroom colony

I came across this colony of Bracket fungi while on an afternoon hike along a wooded glen in Massachusetts. An abundance of shade and moisture was the perfect environment for this fungus to colonize an old dead deciduous tree and begin the process of decomposition.

These tough fungi visible are merely the fruiting bodies. The hidden mycelial network weaving its way through the wood is the main organism slowly consuming the dead tree. Breaking down the cellulose of the wood for food the tree will gradually be returned to the earth to provide nourishment for future generations of plants.