When we hike in the hills in the melting snows we can see a web-like growth on the ground. Woven among the grasses and leaves lie fine strands of fungal mycelium.

The mold gets invisibly embedded in the snow and becomes visible on the grass as the snow disappears. The mold requires moist conditions, so once its protective snow cover melts, the fungi will dry up and disappear. Next winter the mold will re-appear from the spores of the previous year.