Scarlet Caterpillarclub Cordyceps militaris (L.) Link. (illustrated 50% life size) Fruit body 2–5cm high, bright orange-red, fertile head slightly swollen, finely roughened, tapering into a wavy, paler stem. Spores breaking up into 3.5–6×1–1.5¼, barrel-shaped part-spores. Asci very long, 4¼ wide. Habitat on dead larvae and pupae of butterflies and moths buried in the soil, the mycelium of the fungus replacing the insides of the insect. Occasional. Not edible.
