Woodears

These are commonly called "woodears," as in wood-ears (not "woo-dears," for no one would be wooed by them, at least not in this form!) because they look like ears sprouted from wood. They are harvested, cooked, and eaten and like many fungi are said to be quite tasty. They get quite large, a foot or more wide in some species, and are very leathery. Their shape catches rain which hastens the decomposition of the wood on which they reside and from which they take nourishment.