Stumping for Fungus

Stumping: 1) Traveling and making speeches in support of a political candidate or cause.
                  2) Causing befuddlement with a question that is not easily answered.
                  3) Walking awkwardly and noisily through woods.

What you see below is not really a stump; rather it seems to be a section of the trunk of a large tree, cut near where a bough had branched from it.  I was stumped by its location, though, as I didn't see evidence of its tree of origin.  While walking my dog Ziva into the woods, I came upon this scene, which looked as much like part of a heavy vehicle transaxle as it did like chain-sawed wood, opportunistic mushrooms and wet leaves.  I couldn't resist a photo.  Ziva allowed me a moment, and the iPhone camera did a creditable job capturing detail and color.

I don't know who overlooked this bit when (presumably) clearing a dead tree from a public park, but I'm glad they left it.  Some mushrooms are good for eating, and some make perfect hypoid gear tooth garnish for photographs.

For those who follow Ziva's adventures, here she is a day or two earlier.

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