Little eggs can pop open with rain

Shaggy to hairy, vase s-shaped, buff to dark brown exterior, grooved interior, found on forest debris in open woods. In urban environments they often be found in sawdust, woodchip, or well enriched soil. Cup is striated. They are saprophytes (decomposers of organic material). Bird’s-nest are so called because they look like small bird’s nests with eggs. The nest is a splash cup. The “eggs” are small capsules known as peridioles which contain the spores. When raindrops hit the bottom of the cup it splashes out with enough force to disperse the peridioles. Cyathus and Crucibulum “eggs” have a coiled cord with a sticky end. The photo shows striations and eggs, both of which point to C. striatus as the species, but many small fungi like this can be hard to tell apart. It is possible that many species can be found growing together, e.g., Crucibulum laeve and Nidula emodensis. Another similar species Cyathus stercoreus is said to grow on dung but can also be found on garden mulch (woodwaste). C. stercoreus has a lead grey interior and lacks the striations.

From above showing “eggs”. Photo: Robert Whyte

From above showing eggs and faint striations. Photo: Robert Whyte

Cups with more obvious striations. This photograph shows another troupe, this time at Walton Bridge Reserve, The Gap, on Sunday, 6 January 2008. The striations (from which the species name is derived) are more obvious in these specimens. Photo: Robert Whyte

From side on. This photo from side on shows the vase-shaped shaggy exterior in closeup. These fungi appeared in great numbers on decaying woodchip waste in a suburban garden in The Gap. Photo: Robert Whyte

From above showing white “lids”. This photo shows somewhat striated cups and other younger fruiting bodies that have not opened, and a couple with the white “lid” which gets exposed when the top comes Off, and one where the white lid is partially drawn back, exposing “eggs”. The spores are scattered via the “eggs” which can be propelled out of the cups by raindrops. Gentle pressure on the cups can discharge the “eggs” some distance. Photo: Robert Whyte

A troupe of Cyathus. Growing in groups on decaying wood, these Bird’s Nest Fungi are waiting for a shower to send their peridioles across the terrain. Photo: Robert Whyte