Bird's Nest Fungi

Description:

Large, pale "eggs" (peridioles), rusty brown "cup" slightly fuzzy to the touch. The immature fruiting bodies are covered in a thin white membrane. The overall shape of the cup is a lot more cylindrical than other bird's nest fungi I have seen as well; most other species I have observed have a noticeably thinner base compared to the top.

Habitat:

Growing on some dead stems of Pushki (Heracleum lanatum) and on an elderberry bush (Sambucus racemosa) where the stems had broken off.

Notes:

At a time when there isn't much living fungi, these were a welcome sight. There was no snow on the ground at the time I observed it, but it was still cold enough for most of the herbacious plants to die back for the winter.