There are other fungi that are associated with the litter layer on the forest floor, where they meet their energy needs by decomposing dead leaves. Even when their fruiting bodies are not apparent, careful examination of a handful of dead leaves taken from the lower portion of the litter layer will often reveal thread-like hyphae that that permeate some of the leaves.
The litter layer on the forest floor consists mainly of dead leaves, but woody twigs and other types of plant debris are also present. It is not unusual to find small cup fungi on these twigs, and there are a few species that appear to be restricted to this substrate.