Field Bird's Nest - Cyathus olla

The fruit bodies are said to resemble tiny bird's nests filled with eggs. The cup shaped 'nest' is 8 to 15 mm high, 6 to 10 mm wide and initially has a 'lid', whilst the 'eggs' or peridioles are quite large in this species at 3 to 3.5 mm across.

They occur on twigs, woodchip mulch and other woody debris, but another good place to look for these tiny fungal fruitbodies is on dead Marram-grass stems on coastal sand dunes.

May to November.

The 'egg' capsules are splashed out of the cups by rain drops and they then attach to grass stems where they burst open and spread their spores. 

Fairly frequent and widespread throughout Britain.

Status in Leicestershire and Rutland not known.