Fall Fungus

While the colorful fall foliage gets the attention of most people there is a smaller display of color on the forest floor. Fall is also a peak time for members of the fungus family.

It's hard to miss a bright orange maple tree in the fall but a lot of the fall fungus is just as colorful, just smaller.

The following image may look like a large orange mushroom in a pine forest but the mushroom is less than an inch across and the "pine forest" is a carpet of moss.



Russula emetica (Poisonous)



Yellow Spindle Coral (Clavulinopsis fusiformis)




Clavaria zollingeri







Puffball



The fall foliage of this year will soon fall to the forest floor where it will decay and feed next year's crop of fall fungus.