Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Medium

Diet

Decomposer

Biome

Temperate forest

Range

Northern Hemisphere

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Spores

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Common

About

The deer shield is a mushroom that grows on decaying logs across forests. Its gills turn from white to a dusty pink as it releases millions of microscopic spores.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   spore

   A microscopic spore drifts on air or water and germinates where moisture and substrate meet.
2. 2.
   mycelium

   A thread-like mycelium spreads through the substrate, breaking it down into nutrients.
3. 3.
   fruiting body

   A mature fruiting body emerges to release the next generation of spores.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Fungi

Phylum

Basidiomycota

Class

Agaricomycetes

Order

Agaricales

Family

Pluteaceae

Genus

Pluteus