Mrs. Hyphen takes the sixth grade mycology club on a field trip to see the Stiggies every year. It's always a big hit with the kids.
The Stiggies are among the oldest living things in the Zwergwald Forest - a sprawling colony of ancient fungi whose tangled networks are rumored to be older than several kingdoms, three religions, and Mrs. Beeson's cat. They come in every imaginable hue - crimson, sapphire, gold, violet, and one shade of peach that reportedly causes mild arguments about whether it is actually green. Individual Stiggies decorate themselves with an astonishing variety of growths, including frills, bells, ridges, puffballs, and tiny mushroom “hats” that serve no practical purpose whatsoever. Scholars insist these ornaments aid in spore dispersal, while the Stiggies themselves maintain that they simply enjoy looking fabulous.