Birds Nest Fungi |
Small enough to go unnoticed, these midden-heap mushrooms are quite remarkable. | ||
Take a closer look and you'll notice what appears to be tiny cups with eggs inside. | ||
Birds Nest fungi emerge like squat little drums with a slightly concave upper surface. | ||
Rain activated, they swell until their tops split open and their cups fill with rainwater. | ||
Rainwater activates spore packet development. Note how some mature spore packets have "left the nest". |
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A collection of Birds Nests fungi, some with their spore packets spilling out | ||
A perfect example of a Birds Nest fungi about to eject its spore packets. | ||
Like Earth Star fungi, the Birds Nest arches itself upwards to eject its spores. | ||
Once their spore packets mature, spill out of the nest, the Birds Nest fungi life cycle is complete. |
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