Bird's Nest

I've never seen this mushroom before either. Thank you for sharing it with us. I like the dof as well as the lighting.

Good close up of little mushroom, Lucy.

Fascinating fungus! Am curious about what is in all the little pockets! The lighting you used shows them off nicely....would be interested seeing how they look coming out of the ground as well!

Great details & interest Lucy, I've never seen these before..
Well done and thank you for posting this

Here's how they look on the ground...Keep in mind, that the "larger" pieces of wood are actually very tiny pieces of mulch. The original post shows how small they are showing individual grains of sand scattered on the table.

Well seen and captured, Lucy!! Very interesting subject.

Thanks for the photo showing them in context, Lucy. Wow, they are small!

They are so tiny, that I almost missed them. If my mind had not nagged me, that something was different, I would not have noticed them at all. But, they are really cool, when photographed up close. The blue "eggs" startled me through the viewfinder. That's when I decided to pluck one and do an impromptu studio shoot. Now, that I know what to look for, I have seen them twice since in different locations.

I have been mistakenly calling these things lichens. Interesting and thanks for sharing a unique perspective. Removing this from a busy background and using subdued light is all good.

It's a very interesting specimen. I like the warm colors and (of course) all the details including what look like a few grains of sand.

What a fascinating find! This illustrates what I love about macro photography--being able to capture and share the details and beauty in things that are often seldom seen. Good presentation of this by isolating it and sprinkling some sand around on the table. Are those little spores inside those "cups"? Thanks for sharing this, Lucy!

Carolyn , I copied this note from a web site about the "eggs"............Appropriately, they are called "bird's nest" mushrooms because they look like little nests filled with eggs. The "eggs" (peridioles) are puffball-like packets of spores, which are dislodged by raindrops and use tiny coiled cords to attach themselves to twigs or leaves, or to hitch a ride on a passing animal so they can colonize new areas.
Pretty cool, huh?! One note, when looking for these. If you see them, take a picture that day, they may be gone the next....