Whilst looking around the garden the other day we spotted this strange looking thing growing on a dead damson tree. Further examination suggested it was a slime mould. Slime moulds were once considered to be a fungus but are now regarded as a protozoa.They have a bizarre lifecycle as they start off with a single cell amoeboid organism that feed on bacteria and fungi. In suitable conditions these individuals coalesce into a plasmodial stage breeding partnership linked by interconnecting strands.
This stage doesn't last long and as the food substrate runs out they start producing spores - usually within a couple of days.
The one in the garden appears to be Reticularia lycoperdon - a first for me! Its also known as False Puffball or Cauliflower slime mould.
The photos below were taken on three consecutive days and by the third day you can see the brown spores developing. Amazing.
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| Day 1 |
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| Day 2 |
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