Scarlet elf-cups

I make no apology for posting a photo of a species I usually post around this time of year - a beautiful cup fungus that is a bit of a speciality at the nature reserve. This year it had a slow start and was hardly noticeable around Christmas, when we normally see it. It has caught up since and is now really abundant in its favourite area of dark, dank, overgrown woodland. Just about all the dead and dying willow branches which litter the woodland floor have a little cluster of vivid red cups, usually nestled in a bed of moss.