Parasola plicatilis

Parasola plicatilis is an ink cap type fungus that can pop up over night in great troops on wet grass. The caps are very delicate, almost transparent, about 15mms across, and shrivel up almost as soon as the sun comes out. This is a small saprotrophic mushroom with a plicate cap (diameter up to 35 mm). It is a widely distributed species in Europe and North America, and often sighted in Australia. This ink cap species is a decomposer which can be found in grassy areas, alone, scattered or in small groups. The fruiting bodies grow at night after rain, and will self decompose after spore dispersion is achieved. Otherwise, they are quickly dried up in morning sunlight, or will eventually collapse beneath the weight of their caps.