It’s peak season for many kinds of mushroom, but to find this unique species you’ll have to travel someplace tropical. This cup fungus, cookeina, was photographed growing on the rainforest floor in Costa Rica. Like other fungi, it serves as a decomposer, helping to break down dead plants and animals in the ecosystem. Their unique cup shape aids in spore dispersal; it helps raindrops to splash spores out into the forest where the fungi can spread.
Let’s go foraging
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Entoloma hochstetteri mushroom at Lake Mahinapua, New Zealand
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Singing praises of the oceans
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Celebrating World Wildlife Day
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Of balloons and lost pantaloons
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Christmas Eve
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Independence Day
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Hohenzollern Castle near Stuttgart, Germany
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Jerte Valley in bloom
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Hyalite Creek at Custer Gallatin National Forest, Montana
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Hut, hut, hike!
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National Lighthouse Day
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Where the glow of the holidays lingers
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Earth Science Week
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Join the parade for World Elephant Day
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National Park Week: Wind Cave National Park
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Cetacean Saturday
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Gauchos showcase Argentina’s independent spirit
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The artists come to Venice
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A theatrical dream
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A leafy seadragon in the waters off Wool Bay, Australia
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Celebrating National Dentist Day
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The otherworldly red river
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Feast of the Donkey
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US Coast Guard: Protecting us for 105 years
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The snows of Fuji
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The Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Italy
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Bonsai Rock, Lake Tahoe, Nevada
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World of WearableArt Awards
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Happy World Photography Day!
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World Meteorological Day