A Flash of Crimson

What do a mite and a mushroom have in common? Well, if you're a Velvet Mite (Genus Trombidium), or an Elf Cup Fungus (Genus Sarcoscypha), then you both share an intense red color. This color is all the more noticeable among the subdued browns of early spring forests.

Adult Velvet Mites spend their time meandering among fallen leaves and twigs, looking for insect eggs and other tasty morsels to eat.

These large mites are harmless to humans. Some species parasitize insects and spiders, attaching to them as larvae and sucking their fluids like miniature vampires.

The mites overwinter as hibernating adults rather than eggs, and this is one reason you may notice them in the spring before most other arthropods appear.

Elf Cups also appear in early spring, sometimes when there's still snow on the ground. Their Genus name comes from the Greek words 'sark' and 'skyphos', which translates as 'fleshy drinking bowl'.

The purpose of the bowl is to release spores, which are carried away on the lightest of breezes.

If you find Elf Cups (or other cup-shaped fungi), try blowing on them with a short, strong puff of air. The fungus may respond by releasing a visible cloud of spores!

Have no fear, however... these fungi only consume dead plant matter. The spores won't turn you into a Pod Person.

Why do Velvet Mites and Elf Cups share their intense red color? Oddly, the answer isn't fully understood.

Bright colors are often used to warn predators that you're toxic, or to attract pollinators and seed-dispersers. Color can also be used to impress members of the opposite sex. None of these seem to be the case here.

One intriguing possibility involves the seasons, and the sun.

Velvet Mites and Elf Cups both emerge in early spring. Warmth is at a premium during this time. Being warm enables mites to move about and find food. Being warm enables fungi to produce spores.

But - where to get this coveted warmth? Neither mites not fungi can produce their own heat. They must to obtain it from their surroundings instead. And, as anyone who wears a black t-shirt on a summer day knows, dark colors absorb more sunlight than light colors, and turn that light into heat.

Why do the mites and fungi use red, though? Why not black, or some other dark color? Evidence suggests that the red pigments act as a sunscreen, preventing harmful damage from the sun's ultraviolet radiation. At least in mites. I don't know if this idea has been examined in fungi, but the idea is certainly plausible.

So, it appears that both Velvet Mites and Elf Cups jumpstart their lifecycles in the early spring by using red pigments to take advantage of bright sunlight that's not yet blocked or filtered by leaves. At the same time, they may also use red pigments to protect themselves from the unwanted effects of intense sunlight.

Take a few moments to explore the leaf litter on your next spring hike. You may be rewarded with a flash of crimson, and the discovery of a creature that's enjoying the sun's warmth as much as you are. Did you bring your own sunscreen?