Old holes drilled by woodpeckers in search of food provide an easy way out for developing mushrooms, which follow the lines of least resistance. During winter months the blacktailed deer will feed on fungus as well as acorns and palatable leaves in forests and meadows. Cows sometimes ingest spores with the grass they eat. The mushroom flesh provides some nutrition for the animals, but many spores will pass unharmed through their digestive tracts. In some mushrooms, before the spores become capable of germinating, they require temperatures and chemical conditions similar to those found in the stomachs of deer.
Deer can be an important part of the dispersal and development of some fungi.
In this intricate yet fascinating world of mushrooms, we have seen how light and water, how trees and soil, and how insects and mammals combine to produce the web of the ecosystem. Our journey into this kingdom need not end here, but may continue with you as a lifelong hobby. We hope that the next time you discover a colorful mushroom in the reserve you won't give it a scuff of the foot, but that you will look at it as did Thoreau .