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The kids and I recently stopped by an estate sale a few miles from home and while we stood outside visiting with the owner, Poppy noticed under a Japanese Maple next to the sidewalk that the mulch looked polka dotted. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was a type of fungus she had only just read about in a nature book!
We brought home the little sample and it’s one of my favorite things to pull out of our nature collection cabinet and look at with a magnifying glass. Tiny things- even fungi- are adorable and wonderful. This specimen is definitely the best thing we found at the estate sale.
Here’s some information we found online regarding this fascinating type of fungus:
| The Bird’s Nest Fungi [ Basidiomycota > Agaricales > Agaricaceae . . . ]by Michael Kuo These odd and fascinating little fungi look for all the world like tiny birds’ nests. The fruiting bodies form little cuplike nests which contain spore-filled eggs. The nests are called “peridia” (“peridium” in the singular), and serve as splash cups; when raindrops strike the nest, the eggs (called “peridioles”) are projected into the air, where they latch onto twigs, branches, leaves, and so on. What exactly happens next is not completely clear, but eventually the spores are dispersed from the egg. They then germinate and create mycelia, which eventually hook up with other mycelia and produce more fruiting bodies. Five genera—Crucibulum, Cyathus, Mycocalia, Nidula, and Nidularia—are included among the bird’s nests. In North America the majority of the bird’s nest fungi are subtropical and tropical, but a handful of species can be found north of the Gulf Coast. Identifying the bird’s nest fungi is a matter of careful inspection of physical features (you may need a magnifying glass) and, occasionally, microscopic analysis. Have you collected a bird’s nest fungus recently? Researchers at the University of Florida are currently working on this fascinating group of mushrooms, and they would love to study well-documented, preserved collections. If you’re interested in helping, please send me an email at [email protected]. |
We sent Mr. Michael the image above of our little find.
Have you ever found this type of fungi?