Moving the moss aside, it is possible to see the insect which was infected and whose body is now feeding the mushroom.

Mossy forest floor, growing on buried insect pupae

Not edible

• ▸ Bright orange, club-shaped fruiting bodies (stromata) rising from the ground, often in clusters
• ▸ The smooth, slightly swollen head is covered with tiny, embedded flask-shaped perithecia
• ▸ Grows from the buried pupae of moths and butterflies, which the fungus has infected and killed
• ▸ Emerges from mossy soil and forest litter during the humid autumn months

Rich in cordycepin; widely cultivated as a medicinal supplement. Lifting the moss aside reveals the insect that the mushroom is feeding on.