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Snowy Disco fungus - Mark Bower |
There is a whole world below our feet that usually escapes our notice. Miles of mycelium can grow in a patch of soil or a rotting log, only occasionally showing itself in a flowering (fruiting) body to release its spores. Even then, the results may be microscopic.
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Ball point pen pointer - Mark Bower |
Mark Bower sent me these photographs of the tiny
Snowy Disco, Lachnum virgineum. They are cup shaped initially and then flatten out, measuring 2mm across with a distinct stem. They are saprophytic, growing on wood and rotting debris. They occur year round.
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Only 2mm across, less than 1/10". Notice the hairy underside.- Mark Bower |
Snowy Disco is a British common name. In the US it goes by the catchy poetic title of "Stalked Hairy Fairy Cup”
Not much else is known about them.....like a lot of things going on around us. That is the wonder of all of nature.