elfin saddles (Helvella crispa) at Lake Meyer Park IA 653A4285
I always enjoy finding these fanciful little fungi out in the forest, for their enchanting forms must have been planted there by tiny elves and fairies to play on after dark. By the way, here in Iowa I only seem to see them around old oak trees, but they are also associated with beech trees where they grow. They are likely mycorrhizal with those two trees, meaning their mycelium is tied into the oak or beech tree's roots and both benefit from the connection.
elfin saddles (Helvella crispa) at Lake Meyer Park IA 653A4285
I always enjoy finding these fanciful little fungi out in the forest, for their enchanting forms must have been planted there by tiny elves and fairies to play on after dark. By the way, here in Iowa I only seem to see them around old oak trees, but they are also associated with beech trees where they grow. They are likely mycorrhizal with those two trees, meaning their mycelium is tied into the oak or beech tree's roots and both benefit from the connection.