Question

Mold/fungi?   I took a picture of what looks like mold/fungi growing rampant in my parents's front yard. Can you tell me what this is, and should we be concerned? Thank you for your time.

Answer
Hi Kelli:
Your photo is of a harmless fungus called the "Bird's Nest Fungus".  It is considered a nuisance more than anything else.  Actually, these things are real "cool".  They do not harm plants.  They are usually seen on landscape mulch and sometimes on leaf litter in shady spots.  They decompose wood etc into organic matter.  If you look closely, you can see the "eggs" inside the little cup.

I have prepared a bulletin on this fungus and other nuisance fungi that you may encounter in and around the landscape.  It can be found at


http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-7573.pdf

Regards
Steve