Wild Wednesday - Witches’ butter
This week's feature is perfectly suited to the spooky season - Witches' butter, scientific name, Tremella mesenterica, the latter word comes from Ancient Greek for middle intestine. A strange and fascinating fungus that looks like someone has dropped a blob of bright yellow jelly onto a tree branch.
Nature's living jelly
Despite its unusual appearance, it is quite common across the UK and can often be spotted on dead or decaying wood, particularly after wet weather. Its jelly-like folds swell when damp and shrink when dry, only to spring back to life after the next rainfall. It ranges in colour from a pale yellow to bright orange, then rusty orange when dry.
Mythology and symbolism
The fungus gets its curious name from old European folklore, if yellow brain fungus appeared on the gate or door of a house, it meant that a witch had cast a spell on the family living there. The only way the spell could be removed was by piercing the fungus several times with straight pins until it went away. This is why yellow brain also has the common name of 'witches' butter'. In Sweden, yellow brain fungus was burnt to protect against evil spirits. In reality, it's completely harmless and plays an important role in woodland ecosystems.
Did you know?
Unlike many fungi, Witches' butter doesn't feed directly on wood. Instead, it parasitises other fungi living on dead timber, making it one of the woodland's more unusual residents.
Witches' butter is also known as 'yellow brain fungus' because of its wrinkled, brain-like appearance.
So, next time you're out enjoying an autumn walk in one of our parks, woodlands or nature reserves, keep an eye out for this bright yellow blob. It's just one of the many wonderful and weird species that thrive in the wild at this time of year!
Read more here: Yellow Brain (Tremella mesenterica) - Woodland Trust