UPDATE: Somewhere in Pikesville: What's on the Tree?

UPDATE (9:47 a.m. May 3)—Somewhere in Pikesville last month I came across this tree.

Do you know what's on the tree, and where I found it?

There are some inherent clues for folks who know Pikesville. but I will give you another clue: It was in a place accessible to the public.

Here's the answer: This is a shelf fungus, ganoderma applanatum, and I found it at in Pikesville.

It's also known as a bracket fungus. Some call it artist's conch, because artwork can be carved or drawn onto the opposite side. That would be the white underside in this fungus.

It often grows on decaying, dead trees. But in this case, it's a parasite, because it's growing on a wound of a living tree.

The clue I thought readers could get from the photos was the age of this tree.

There are only two places I know of in Pikesville with trees this large, that are accessible to the public: the cemetery and .

But there could be others.

If you know of any more public places with aged trees, please mention them in the comments.

If you have some interesting photos from Pikesville, Randallstown, Stevenson, or the surrounding area, feel free to post them here.