Common Bird's Nest Fungus- Crucibulum simile

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Common Bird's Nest Fungus- Crucibulum simile
Common Bird's Nest Fungus- Crucibulum simile

Bird's nest fungi's fruiting bodies resemble tiny egg-filled bird nests. They are easily overlooked because of their tiny size (7mm or 1/4 inch across). Young specimens have a thin layer of tissue covering the cup's top. It wears off at maturity to expose the disc-shaped spore parcels within. The smooth inner walls of the fruiting body and the combined effect of the crucible shape and internal wall angle produce a good splash action. The force of the falling water splashes out the "egg" uncoiling and snapping the funiculus, the cord that connects it to the fruiting body. As the egg continues its flight, the cord extends to its full length. The sticky end of the cord may adhere to a leaf or a twig some distance away, and the egg may end up being wrapped around or hanging down the object to which the funiculus is stuck. The spores can germinate when the thick outer wall of the "egg" wears away, or the egg may be eaten by a herbivorous animal, and ultimately passed through its digestive system. Recently New Zealand collected specimen of C. laeve had the name changed to C. simile. I have not caught up with the rationale for this.

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Taken on: July 13, 2022
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Camera: Olympus E-M10MarkIV, f/13.0, 1/60 sec, 30mm (=60mm), ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Olympus E-M10MarkIV
Lens: OLYMPUS M.30mm F3.5 Macro
Aperture: f/13.0
Exposure Time: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Focal Length: 30mm (35mm equivalent: 60mm)
ISO: 200
Exposure Bias: -1 EV
Flash: On, Fired
Exposure Program: Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode: Manual
Metering Mode: Multi-segment
White Balance: Auto
Sharpness: Hard
Color Space: sRGB
Software: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 11.3 (Macintosh)
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