Squamous dryads

One of the oaks down by the stream has a bad case of athlete's foot - fungus shaped like small UFOs badly off-course and embedded at the base of the trunk.

Anthony thought it was Dryad's cushion, but I couldn't find this online. Instead, it might possibly be Dryad’s saddle (Polyporus Squamosus), but this is where the internet can be as much of a hindrance to identification as a help. Looking at the images presented by Google, it could just as easily be Lacquered bracket (Ganoderma resinaceum), which is borne out by a useful-looking fungi identification document. Other websites say Ganoderma is the same as Oak bracket (Inonotus dryadeus - spot the dryad), but then the images again don't back this up.

Anyway, the tree is sick and is dropping branches, so the path will have to be diverted around it.