Odd One Out

Discuss:

Which is the odd one out?

Fast Facts

  1. Basket Fungus: An SA white cage that bursts out of a soft "egg" in leaf litter and mulch, where the fungus feeds on dead plant matter.

  2. Venus Flytrap: A plant from the United States that makes its own food from sunlight and snaps shut on insects to get extra nutrients.

  3. Lawyer’s Wig (Shaggy Ink Cap): An SA mushroom that feeds on dead matter in the ground, then dissolves its own cap into black ink to spread its spores.

  4. Ghost Fungus: An SA fungus that feeds on dead and dying wood and glows a soft green in the dark.

Learn:

Weird and Wonderful Fungus!

Read: Learn about “weird” and wonderful fungi found in South Australia.

Green Adelaide: Fungi of Adelaide and the Hills (download ID sheet)

The Venus flytrap looks like it's always hungry, but it is a producer. That means it makes its own food from sunlight, just like other plants. It grows in wet, poor soil in the United States, so it catches insects to get the extra goodness it needs (fertiliser for the soil). Decomposers (like the fungus above) feed on things that are already dead and break them down. The flytrap doesn't need to do that, because it makes its own food.

Discover:

South Australian Museum

North Terrace, Adelaide, 5000.

The South Australian Museum has been committed to making Australia’s natural and cultural heritage accessible, engaging and fun for over 165 years.
 

  • Mary Lane/Fotoliax

    jaylichter (iNaturalist)

    liznoble (iNaturalist)

    gregwest (iNaturalist)