365 Urban Species. #295: Eyelash Cup

[urbpan]

Photos by cottonmanifesto. Location: Olmsted Park, Boston.

Urban species #295: Eyelash cup Scutellinia scutellata

There are many species of cup fungi. The fruiting bodies of these fungi are more or less round and usually rubbery, forming discs or bowls depending on their concavity. Unlike more familiar umbrella or shelf mushrooms, which produce spores on their undersides, cup fungi produce spores on the top surface of the fruiting body. The spores are protected in microscopic sacs that have aperatures at the cup surface. When the conditions are right, a tiny cap springs off the aperature, and the spores are forcibly ejected into the air. Eyelash cups are very small, seldom as big as a centimeter in diameter. When examined closely, they reveal an interesting feature: the edge of the cup is ringed with miniscule black hairs. Eyelash cups can be found anywhere there is well-decayed wood.

Comments

[mellawyrden.livejournal.com]

That colour is so beautiful. I love these. I loved the bird's-nest fungus you posted earlier as well!

[badnoodles.livejournal.com]

Okay. I have officially decided that fungi fall into two categories:

1. Delicious.
2.) WTF-Freaky.

This one definitely falls into Category 2.

[ihmissusi.livejournal.com]

Creepy creepyness, definitely.

[ankhanu.livejournal.com]

Coming back to this, it really makes me think of a fly, something along the lines of a calliphorid or sarcophagid.