The "Nest" is empty!

  I cleaned out the hotbed in anticipation of sowing the seeds for the vegetable garden.  It is that time of year when I get antsy and want to plant.  Last year, the herbs took over the hotbed and I am already seeing tiny basil, dill and lemon balm seedlings poking their leaves through the soil.  It appears that my hotbed is already seeded and I will have to find somewhere else to start my seeds.  The greenhouse construction is well underway but if I want early tomatoes and bell peppers, I need them in the pots now.  My kids have already informed me that their stash of homemade tomato sauce, ketchup and salsa has been depleted!  My plans are to have nearly fifty tomato plants if possible this summer.  That should keep me quite busy.

Bird's Nest Fungus sitting next to an empty acorn cap.

  While clearing the dead leaf matter and sticks from the hotbed, I came across a tiny funnel.  Hmmm...is this an elfin funnel?  Could the faeries have forgotten one of their tools when they were working in the herbs?  Nope, this is a type of fungus.  It is a Cyathus Olla or Bird's Nest Fungus to be precise.  Actually, this is the remains of the Bird's Nest Fungus.  If I had spied this several months ago, it would have been orange and sort of fluffy now, it is just a grey funnel.  Of course, it would have taken some doing for me to find it several months ago as the Thai Basil filled this portion of the hotbed with a mass of leaves that was nigh on impenetrable!  The fungus grew without being disturbed.  Sometime after the orange fluffy disappeared, the "eggs" filled the nest.  These are the spore cases of the fungus.  Once the "eggs" mature, raindrops or any other disturbance causes them to burst from the funnel.  Once the "eggs" are on the ground, they split open and the spores are ready to start the process anew.  All I had was the "nest".

The Bird's Nest Fungus has already lost its "eggs" or spore cases.

  I thought the tiny funnel was interesting enough to leave intact in the hotbed.  Sure I will have a number of other fungi sprouting up everywhere but they don't seem to hurt a thing.  Besides, what would the magical, little beings that live in my herb garden do without their funnels?