Bird's Nest Fungi

 

While prepping the children’s veggie garden for spring, we came across hundreds of tiny bird’s nest fungi- the cutest fungi around. This type of fungus grows on decaying wood (in this case, the woodchips in the garden) and depends on the rain for spore dispersal. The “eggs” in the nest-like cup are actually packets of spores. When a raindrop hits the cup, the “eggs” are splashed out of and away from the cup, where they can develop if the conditions are right.