Fungi Mycenastrum corium

With petals fully formed

 We have had the best season in this region that we have seen in years!!!So much rain !!! So Wonderful!!!
The result of this, is that plants that haven't been seen  for years are appearing,insects are in abundance birds seem to be in a frenzy of nest building and mating so as to take advantage of insects,nectar and seed.
 Indeed for some birds like water birds for instance time is of the essence for if the lakes dry up before their bubs can fly,all that effort will have been in vain.
Anyhow on this page are some shots of one of the strange things that came with the rain .
Not a pretty thing but I think quite unique. By sheer luck I came upon a pic of something similar on a blog I follow, it think is some kind of Mycenastrum corium. At first sight it looks like a flower made of wood
I found it on the edge of a dam witch has turned into a small lake due to the rainfall and is now many times it's original size and home to flocks of ducks and waterbirds.It is often found where cattle graze and there are cattle in this area .This could be the reason I haven't seen this fungi before as only sheep are farmed here .
I found the flower like fungi first and upon looking around found the others in various stages of  growth .

Petals unfolding in the top right hand corner.

Aged but unopened

Free of the earth

What could this be???

While researching this fungi I came across the fungimap website ( address below) it is a cool resource if you are a fan of fungi. Here you will find resources for identifying fungi, shop where you can buy books and more.Also you can have pics of your finds  displayed on the website and on the fungimap of Australia. A very worthwhile cause.



http://fungimap.org.au/