AE/MS students Ollie Grotnes, Jon Grodin, Daniel Shedd, and Ben Newton proudly display a giant “tree bracket fungus,” or shelf fungus. It is a polypore found mostly on our state tree, the birch. This specimen, however, was found on a 150-year-old maple on Main Street. Each ring on the fungus indicates one growing season, so the students think it is about 47 years old. Jason Grodin (Jon’s dad) discovered the fungus in a tree near the school and asked that it be treated carefully when the tree was cut down so it would remain whole. He estimated the weight to be 38 to 42 pounds. New Hampshire Fish and Game biologists said it could be one of the largest shelf fungi found and harvested. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime find. It has been donated to AE/MS. We are letting it dry for a few weeks, and then we hope to decorate it for display! Photo and caption: Gretchen Hildebrand
