I used to teach a class about the ecology of decaying, fallen trees. It was always fun to see the different types of fungi that lived on the wood. This one was among my favorites! It's easy to see how it gets its' common name .
Height: 1-7/8" - 3-1/4" This has to be one of the strangest fungi I've ever seen! They are covered in a thick, gelatinous, slimy pulp which is like "aspic." I found them growing in a coniferous forest in the Cherokee National Forest during an unusally wet July. The fungi will grow a stalk then release the spores. The species name, cinnabarina allude to the color of this puffball.
