The early April rain has caused the appearance of a few fungi species, but most of them appear to be waiting for more moisture.
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Not many 'mushroom-shaped' species had appeared earlier this week, although puffballs, rustgills, false truffles and a few others had been spotted.
The accompanying photo of a small clump of shaggy caps was taken last week at Lake Wendouree.
READ LAST WEEK'S NATURE NOTES HERE: An army of froglets are cricking in chorus after autumn rain
Shaggy caps often appear early in the season. They are seen at about the same time as inky caps, which is a similar but smoother species.
Both are found mostly in gardens, along paths, roadsides and similar places, rather than in natural environments, and both may be introduced here, rather than native.
The various stages of this short lived fungus can be seen in the photo. Young ones are upright and cylindrical, while the older caps spread widely.
The black around the edges is caused by a curious process known as auto digestion (deliquescence).
Spores are released from the blackened, curled up rim, thereby having more opportunity to disperse more widely.
The cap contains enzymes that cause the cap to "melt" into inky black liquid when the spores are dispersing.
After a few days, the spores have gone, leaving an inky black mess amongst the white stems.
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