Polly, is This an Example of Slime Mold?

Post by **tex** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:02 pm

Polly,

Didn't you study this stuff last year? Is this an example of a slime mold? If not, what the heck is it? Things like this are pretty rare in this part of Texas, but I photographed this growth next to the dust collectors, behind my corn cleaning plant. The soil contains a lot of mulch there, and it's usually in the shade of tall grain storage tanks. This is roughly 50 or 60 mm in length.

Here's an image using a fill flash:

Here's one with natural light only, so the texture shows up better:

Love,
Wayne

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 8:50 am

Mornin' tex!

I hate to disappoint you, but I do not know anything about slime mold - it was not in the curriculum last year. When I googled it, I came across an article that said it looks like "dog vomit". The mold in the photo was the same color as your specimen, but yours appears much more rounded and discrete. The sample photo indeed looked like vomit. LOL!

It sounds as if the growing conditions you described are perfect fror slime mold. Maybe in TX it occurs in that rounded form?

Anyway, my bet would be on the slime mold.

Love,

Polly

hazel · Post by **hazel** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 9:47 am

Yes for slime mold. My husband says the white part is the slime and ithe yellow part is the reproducing part. (it is sporulating!)

annie oakley · Post by **annie oakley** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 5:48 pm

That is the nastiest looking stuff I have ever seen!
Love Oma

Post by **tex** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 6:01 pm

Thanks everyone. Now that I think about it, I have seen this same stuff in the earlier stage where it does indeed look like vomit. LOL It didn't even occur to me that it's the same stuff, but it obviously is.

Oma. I thought this looks pretty sanitary. You should see it when it's still in the "slime" stage. LOL.

I've seen some that is a beautiful pink color, also, though not recently.

Love,
Wayne