Fungus (is) the Bogeyman

I've been shocked by the amount of honey fungus I've seen this year. I remember Dad showing me what it was about 40 years ago and it was reasonably uncommon then. We always identified it by the black bootlace-looking rhizomorphs in the soil around, or under the bark of, an affected tree.

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They look very much like black roots and are the 'super highway' within the mycelium network. They are tough to break too, making them a dab-hand at invading tree roots and getting under bark to wreak havoc.

Honey fungus, is not actually a single species of fungi but a group of closely related ones, which means the fruiting bodies, or the clusters of mushrooms that give away its presence can vary hugely in appearance.