Fungi resembling devil's urns
When asked what my favorite mushroom is, I answer that it's the one I find for the first time and that surprises me the most. Therefore, this mystical-looking mushroom is one of my favorite spring finds. The DEVIL'S URN (Latin: Urnula craterium), as English speakers call it, did not surprise me with its name at all, for some reason.
During the last walk, where I was telling a group of curious people about mushrooms, we found not just one of these devil's urns. We even helped them spread their spores (you just need to gently blow into the urns of this mushroom, and if conditions are right, they will shoot out a visible cloud of spores!). They smoked like cannons. And it turns out we did well, because this mushroom is sadly honored among other unfortunates in the Lithuanian Red Book.
The urnula can be found in old-growth forests dominated by oaks with spruces and old hazel trees. The mushroom grows on decaying hardwood, which is usually already covered with soil. It particularly likes damp forest spots protected from sun and wind. To find devil's urns, not only an old forest is needed, but other favorable conditions must also align - a thick layer of snow must cover the forest in late winter - early spring, as this ensures sufficient moisture for the mushroom to grow quickly when the weather warms up. About 50 known locations of this mushroom are known in Lithuania. As old forests are rapidly disappearing, so are the mushrooms that grow in them.
I am glad to contribute to the activities of SENGIRĖS FONDAS, which helps to preserve such old forests. This gives hope that the urnula and other mushrooms with a similar fate will continue to thrive.
