Why ?

Why are these baskets full of flat rocks ?

 

Grown up through the stones and lifted them as they grew. Bit like toadstoools through concrete?????

Liz

 

peridia with periodoles

 

Possibly Cyathus olla

 

Good try Liz, But they are Fully organic.

tipularia,
You are very close ,
Actually only one off the recognised list .

Clue # 1

 

OK native of some sort (Aust.) seed shells and birds put them there :) I give up :)))))

Liz

 

Clue # 2 .
Birds nest .
tipularia Is almost there ,
Second word starts with 'S'

 

Cyathus stercoreus
http://www.anbg.gov.au/fungi/images-captions/cyathus-stercoreus-0078.html

If it is it what is it exactly, A fungus???

Is this the one that grows in dung/manure out in the paddocks

guessing wildly now

Liz

 

We have a winner. Liz
Yes they do grow on / in Dung.
But the one I photographed was in my vege garden.
My last clue was going to be this Pic.

See the full story here.
http://www.messiah.edu/Oakes/fungi_on_wood/bird's nest fungi/species pages/Cyathus stercoreus.htm

 

Gosh they are tiny. I must see if I can find some out in the donkey do or is it only cowpats. The things I am learning on this list are great. Thanks for the other persons help and thankyou for the fun competition. I am going to have to get a camera so I can ask things too.

Liz

 

A recent issue of Natural History Magazine (circa 3/07) has a picture of exactly this fungus with some brief explanation in their feature on fungi photographs.

 

That's a great stumper. The unexpectedly small scale threw me off completely - nah, stumped me. I thought it must be some mad potter up to his antics. But then, that has nothing to do with botany, has it?