I have no idea about the ear fungus but when my son was about 3 we were at Needwood Park on a very crowded Saturday and he pointed to a Stinkhorn fungus and said as loud as he possibly could "Mommy look at the big penis." Of course I though that I was going to die.
Karyn

Yes, but did your husband look proud -- at least until he realized your son was talking about the fungus!?

Aren't they funny? I mulch so heavily that if I am tardy in roughing up the mulch, I get a bunch of them.

Now these ears are weird. They look like a dead person's ear that has been composted in the mulch or something.

Christine

If you have a lot of free time, you could look through Tom Volk's fungi picture. Me, I'd be tempted to take a shortcut and email the guy with pictures.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fungi Site

Since I don't have a digital camera and don't know how to get them from my phone to someone else?

I'll check the link. Thanks!
I thought I recalled a site that devoted itself to body parts found in mulch.

C.

It's not this, is it?? Very weird.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tom Volk's mulch site

That's the same site. :)
C.

it's the same site but it should take you to the wood ear/cloud ear pic...

Christine, can you email me offline? I can't get gardenweb to cooperate to get your email addy.

zachsmom at iname dot com

I just pulled up a picture of stinkhorn fungus. I see what you mean! Very priapic looking.