Spreading Brown Cup

May 24, 2026

Spreading Brown Cup (Peziza varia) is a fungus that is extensively distributed across North America and Europe. Here in North America it is often found in areas with nutrient rich soil and wood debris like the East and Central United States, the Pacific Northwest, and our Atlantic Coast.

They can be found as solitary individuals, as well as in groups, sometimes simply on wood chips or on decaying hardwoods. It’s most often found during spring and autumn.

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Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.