They are in turn fed upon by centipedes. Banana slugs move ever so slowly across the forest floor and feed on all types of plant material. In spite of its huge appetite, the banana slug often leaves the fungus half-eaten or dotted with craters. The winter diet of squirrels is supplemented with fungus. Their acute sense of smell helps them detect mushrooms that remain hidden beneath leaves and branches.
Woodpeckers hollow out nests in old trees decayed by the activity of such fungi as shelf fungus.
The woodpeckers in turn gather spores in their tail-feathers which are used as props against the bark of the tree. The spores can be rubbed off later on an uninfected tree and help begin the cycle all over. 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.