I found this in my yard in Northern Virginia. It is in an area that gets full sun most of the day and I just noticed it about a week ago. These two specimens are just inches apart and are growing along my sidewalk. Any ideas as to what they may be?
Maybe peziza sp. Not easy to ID without the micro characteristics. What kind of trees there where? Nico
There aren't any trees near that spot now. There were some holly bushes that were cut down a year ago. Six or seven years ago, there was a maple nearby at one time but it was cut down a few feet away and the stump ground up. As for the mulch in the picture, I'm not sure what kind of tree that was from unfortunately.
You have the cup fungus Peziza cerea (synonym P. varia). It grows almost throughout the year on a variety of substrata, with a notable preference for habitats with some human disturbance. Not rarely you find it near houses or blocks under construction where it makes use of chalk from mortar or cement (concrete). Harri Harmaja http://www.fmnh.helsinki.fi/users/harmaja/archaeology.htm
