Day 248: I have had several inquiries about this orange-peel fungus this spring. Caloscypha fulgens is fruiting in abundance in multiple locations. This could be cause for concern. As I have read up on the subject, I've discovered that in its conidial (spore) stage, it is a plant pathogen (an infection) which affects Sitka spruce seeds, causing them to wither and die before they can sprout. It erupts as irregularly cup-shaped structures close on the heels of snow-melt and thrives in the cool, damp conditions of our Pacific Northwest spring season. Newly emergent cups resemble those of the fall-fruiting Aleuria aurantica (orange inside and out), but as Caloscypha ages, its exterior turns brown and may be tinged with blue or green. The pathogen is known to be spread by squirrels which may stash an infected spruce cone with others not infected.
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