10/05/2026
FOUNDATIONS OF DECAY โ I
Common Birdโs Nest Fungus | Family Nidulariaceae
Crucibulum laeve
Hidden among fallen leaves and decaying wood, these remarkably small fungi can be easy to overlook. Up close, however, they look almost impossibly precise. Just tiny cups containing what appear to be miniature eggs.
These โeggsโ are actually peridioles, each containing spores. When rain falls into the cup, the force of the water can send a peridiole flying, carrying its spores away to begin the next generation.
When I zoom in super close (each cup is only about 5-10mm), there are tiny rainbow specks on the "eggs". They remind me of the Icebreakers Sours ๐