48K views · 3.3K reactions | Let’s hear it for the decomposers! #amnh #bugs #insects #decomposers #museums #nyc #uws #nature #forestfloor #diorama | American Museum of Natural History | Facebook

🧚Could you imagine little fairies using these mushrooms as parachutes?! Considering this fungus was named ‘fairy parachutes’, someone must have really envisioned it! The fungus’ white fruiting bodies have widely spaced wiggly gills on the underside of the parachute shaped cap. They are saprobic which means that they decomposers that obtain nutrients by breaking down organic matter. They are essential for ecosystems because they recycle nutrients back into the soil, which nourishes other plants