Most decomposers are generalists, meaning they feed on a wide variety of species. Children should look for the fruiting bodies of decomposing fungi, which are mushrooms and conks. The best time to look for them is after soaking rains in spring, late summer and fall. The leaf litter critters are organisms that shred and digest leaf litter and other organic matter.

Fungi

Shoe-sting root rot (roots)

Conk/shelf fungi (heartwood)

Chicken mushroom (heartwood)

Oyster mushrooms (heartwood)

Bacteria

Leaf Litter Critters

Springtails

Isopods

Millipedes

Earthworms

Snails and Slugs