It's a Mycological Easter egg hunt, a gathering of mushrooms that come from eggs! For the rest of my pages on fungi, please click TomVolkFungi.net Return to Tom Volk's Mycological Easter egg hunt page. You've found Crucibulum vulgare, one of the bird's nest fungi! This fungus is *very* common in bark mulch in landscaping. The "eggs" in the nest are actually analogous to tiny puffballs in that they contain the basidiospores inside of them. The nest acts as a splash cup. When raindrops fall into the cup, the eggs (technically called peridioles) are splashed out some distance away from the nest. If they land on a suitable substrate, they will germinate and form new mycelium that can grow into new fruiting bodies. When immature, the nest is covered by a brown membrane called an epiphragm, which breaks before the rain can splash out the eggs. Look for this fungus in your bark mulch right now! I bet it's there. I'm sorry this has not yet been fungus of the month. (I knowthis makes you very sad...) Maybe somday... If you have anything to add, or if you have corrections or comments, please write to me at volk.thom@uwlax.edu This page and other pages are © Copyright 2003 by Thomas J. Volk, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Return to Tom Volk's Fungi Home Page --TomVolkFungi.net Return to Tom Volk's Fungus of the month pages listing Return to Tom Volk's Mycological Easter egg hunt page.
Return to Tom Volk's Mycological Easter egg hunt page.
You've found Crucibulum vulgare, one of the bird's nest fungi!
This fungus is *very* common in bark mulch in landscaping. The "eggs" in the nest are actually analogous to tiny puffballs in that they contain the basidiospores inside of them. The nest acts as a splash cup. When raindrops fall into the cup, the eggs (technically called peridioles) are splashed out some distance away from the nest. If they land on a suitable substrate, they will germinate and form new mycelium that can grow into new fruiting bodies. When immature, the nest is covered by a brown membrane called an epiphragm, which breaks before the rain can splash out the eggs. Look for this fungus in your bark mulch right now! I bet it's there. I'm sorry this has not yet been fungus of the month. (I knowthis makes you very sad...) Maybe somday... If you have anything to add, or if you have corrections or comments, please write to me at volk.thom@uwlax.edu This page and other pages are © Copyright 2003 by Thomas J. Volk, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Return to Tom Volk's Fungi Home Page --TomVolkFungi.net Return to Tom Volk's Fungus of the month pages listing Return to Tom Volk's Mycological Easter egg hunt page.
I'm sorry this has not yet been fungus of the month. (I knowthis makes you very sad...) Maybe somday...
Return to Tom Volk's Fungi Home Page --TomVolkFungi.net
Return to Tom Volk's Fungus of the month pages listing