Button-down Elf Cup

Day 82: One short section of trail in the Cowlitz Wildlife Area near Mossyrock Dam is a favourite with me because it nearly always produces something of interest, probably because the dominant tree is Big-leaf Maple rather than the Doug-firs I usually find myself among. Scarlet Elf Cup (Sarcoscypha coccinea) is easy to identify: a salmon pink/red cup with a whitish tomentum (fuzz) on the outer surface. Typically, it fruits in the cooler months, and grows on decaying wood. This specimen appeared to be "buttoned" to its substrate, and gave me a chuckle only another mycophile can appreciate. We take our amusements where we find them, and Ma Nature can be quite a humourist at times. Fungus with a belly-button! Whodathunkit?

Sarcoscypha Coccinea, Scarlet Elf Cup

Day 109: It doesn't take a lot of imagination to picture elves and faerie folk sipping their beverages of choice from the elegant goblets of Sarcoscypha coccinea, the "Scarlet Elf Cup" of our Pacific Northwest forests. Normally a late-season species, this specimen was one of two I found while on a hike day before yesterday, and was easily three times the size of the first one I'd spotted. S. coccinea is saprobic, i.e., it is a decomposer which feeds on organic material. It occurs on hardwood, sometimes so well-concealed and buried by other debris that the fungus may appear terrestrial. In this case, its substrate was undoubtedly Red Alder (Alnus rubra), the dominant tree species at this location. I have also found it in association with Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum). While some field guides list it as edible, the words "in a pinch" come quickly to mind. In a desperate situation, one might find that they took the edge off a ravenous hunger, but they would not be my choice for cream soup or a gravy to go over steak.

Sarcoscypha Coccinea

Day 81: Experts will argue that Scarlet Elf Cup (Sarcoscypha coccinea) is peculiar to the Pacific Northwest despite the fact that the name has been applied to similar fungi elsewhere in the world. Whatever its range, one thing is certain: it will stop you in your tracks when you encounter it in the deep, dark forest as I did when I was hiking into Sulphur Creek Falls. I've seen it there before, although somewhat closer to springtime. Its colour is a striking salmon-red, and its exterior surface is covered with a white "bloom" which makes it appear pink at first glance. It grows on decaying hardwood twigs and often appears in multiples, emerging from beneath deteriorating leaf litter. When it releases its spores, it may do so in a fog-like burst resembling that of a puffball mushroom. Now there's a phenomenon I'd like to record!

Sarcoscypha Coccinea

Day 162: Sarcoscypha coccinea is a species of cup-fungus endemic to the Pacific Northwest and is commonly called Scarlet Elf Cup. Its bright red colour make it easy to spot in the shady forests where it prefers to live. It grows on decaying hardwood (maple, for example), although it often appears to be sprouting directly from the ground when the wood is buried. A short stipe (stalk) may or may not be apparent. The outer surface of the cup is lightly tomentose (fuzzy) and whitens with age. Other similar Sarcoscyphas can be found on the east coast, but S. coccinea can be found solely in the west from California northward. The species fruits in late winter through spring, unlike the majority of other cup-fungi.