I spotted a patch of bird nest fungus at the entrance to the garden. I don't know enough to ID it. I can only say Nidulariaceae. They certainly are amazing little things.
Lovely find and photos Eric! I like birds nest fungi both because they are cute and because they are such a unique form of mushroom. There are plants that use a similar form of splash cup technology (can't think of one right now but I know there are), but no other fungi do this. I'm pretty certain your specimen is Cyathus striatus: The strong furrows or striations on the inside of the cup are the prime character leading to this ID. If it looked differently than that, I would be asking you to tease out the "eggs" or peridioles to look for info on the stretchy cord attaching these to the base of the cup. cheers! frog
