Is this a nest or a mushroom?
What does the shape of these tiny fungi remind you of? A little bird’s nest?
If so, you are absolutely right.
In English, fungi like these are commonly known as bird’s nest fungi, and this particular species is the Common Bird’s Nest (Crucibulum laeve).
When young, the fruiting body looks like a tiny closed barrel. As it matures, the protective layer covering the top breaks apart and reveals the interesting part inside: several tiny “eggs” sitting in the cup like objects arranged in a miniature basket.
These “eggs” are called peridioles, and they contain the fungus’s spores.
Fungi have developed all sorts of strategies for spreading their spores as efficiently as possible. This little species has found a particularly clever one: it uses the kinetic energy of falling raindrops. Why do all the work yourself when the weather can do it for you?
Common Bird’s Nest (Crucibulum laeve).
A tiny splash-powered spore launcher
When the fungus is mature, the cup opens and waits for rain.
A raindrop hitting the inside of the cup can launch the peridioles out of the nest. The shape and angle of the cup help direct the force of the splash, allowing the peridioles to travel surprisingly far for something so tiny, sometimes more than 2 meters (6.5 ft).
Once launched, a peridiole may attach itself to nearby vegetation or another surface.
Some bird’s nest fungi also have structures that help the peridioles catch onto plants after being thrown from the cup. From there, the spores can eventually be released when conditions are suitable.
If a herbivore happens to eat vegetation carrying the peridioles, the spores may also pass through the animal’s digestive system and later be dispersed elsewhere.
So if you want to find this fascinating little fungus, you need to look closely. Common Bird’s Nest grows on decaying woody material, including small branches, wood chips and other plant debris.
I even found some growing on a wooden walkway in the forest.
Tiny mushroom, surprisingly sophisticated engineering.
