Two orange spheres the size of blueberries embedded in clear mucilage amid pine needles, brown oak leaves, and moss.

Stalked puffball-in-aspic (Calostoma cinnabarinum). The genus is a real freak show of morphologies and its classification was a bit of a mystery until recently. Per DNA analysis it is in the Boletales. New Paltz, NY. 🍄 #fungi #mushroom #calostoma #puffball #sclerodermataceae #ectomycorrhizal #nature