When I went to the forest near me, I expected to find various species of mushrooms. Even though it's a forest near a large urban area, I always spotted something in the field.

Tinder fungus, as the name suggests, is present everywhere and this is true, as it can be found in the least expected places, but this was the first time I had encountered a tree fungus of such size in my area.

As we know, the fungus is a parasite, and its victims primarily include deciduous trees such as beech, birch, oak, and willow. It is the only parasitic fungus that decomposes all the components of wood.

According to various sources, the mushroom can reach a size of up to 30 cm across. The specimen I found was well over 50 cm; just look at my hand and it's a size XL.

But even though the mushroom is a parasite, it has brought and continues to bring many benefits to humans. The dried mushroom, primarily its flesh, was once used as kindling. The mushroom also has many medicinal properties and helps fight many diseases.

For me, however, it remains a beautiful specimen of nature that can surprise us every day.