In Ascomycota, the hyphae usually have septa, and when these hyphae fuse, it leads to a formation of densely interwoven mass that contains characteristic microscopic reproductive structures called asci. The species in this phyla may be terrestrial, marine, or freshwater. There are more than 60,000 species within.

Basidiomycota have hyphae than generally have incomplete septa, and in this case, when the hyphae fuse it then forms a densely interwoven reproductive structure with microscopic, club-shaped structures called basidia. There are about 25,000 species in this phylum.

Contrasting with the other two, in the phylum Zygomycota there is a lack of septa. Also different, the fusion of hyphae leads directly to the formation of a zygote, which in turn divides by meiosis when it germinates. They may be terrestrial parasitic. There are approximately 660 species contained within this phylum.

Parrot Mushroom (Hygrocybe psittacina)This mushroom lives in colonies or in solitude. Mostly found in damp soil, moss, humus, and underneath redwoods. They generally show up around November through January. They, of course, are decomposers. Although they are edible, I wouldn't suggest popping one in your mouth, because while they are not in any way harmful or poisonous, there are some definant downsides. Apart from being rather small and unfilling, they are very slimy (as apparent in the picture above) and have little taste that might please a person. When young, the mushrooms are a vibrant "parrot" green and have a thick shiny slime covering them. Once they begin to age they become yellow, orange, or pink. They also tend to loose the amount of slime that covers them. At night the bases glow, as shown below.

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