fungal eggs aplenty
ready to bounce into sweet life
far from all of the utter madness
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Per Michael Kuo (0nline):
These odd and fascinating little fungi look for all the world like tiny birds’ nests. The fruiting bodies form little cuplike nests which contain spore-filled eggs. The nests are called “peridia” (“peridium” in the singular), and serve as splash cups; when raindrops strike the nest, the eggs (called “peridioles”) are projected into the air, where they latch onto twigs, branches, leaves, and so on. What exactly happens next is not completely clear, but eventually the spores are dispersed from the egg. They then germinate and create mycelia, which eventually hook up with other mycelia and produce more fruiting bodies.
Bird-nest Cup Fungi (each one was around 5mm in diameter)… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 
I’ve never encountered anything like this. I see that peridium is based on the Greek word pērā, meaning ‘leather pouch’.
Fascinating! Thank you for explaining.
What fascinating structures. Thanks for the introduction. Lovely verse and photo too.
I’ve never seen anything like this in the natural world, either. But the image reminds me of the game we often played in Liberia, called ‘Mancala’ or ‘Wari.’ It was played with stones or seeds — here’s an image of the board.
Sometimes, you don’t even need a board.
So tiny, so perfect and beautiful
Very cool, Tom. Thanks for the science lesson!
Interesting. Thanks for the explanation. The biologist in me first was reactive: Fungi don’t have eggs. but the appearance, that’s another story. Illusions are fun.
My flower bed was covered with these. I had never seen them before.
Cool, great shot!
Intriguing – would love to stumble on these someday!
Great photograph! I’ve never seen anything like it. And I appreciated the explanation.
I’m always learning something new here at your site Tom – thank you!