DuQuesHonorary Virtual Ranger
Joined: Fri Jan 14, 2005 5:42 pm
Posts: 18634
Location: Red sand, why do I keep thinking of red sand?
Quite a name what?
If however you look this one up on Wikipedia it lists less flattering names, like Dog vomit slime mold. In Dutch it is called Heksenboter, or Witches butter.
It looks like this:
(This photo was taken in The Netherlands, but it occurs worldwide.)
You may have seen it in Kruger, the Garden Route parks, or any other place that is quite damp. You will not be likely to find it in the Kgalagadi. It is found on bark mulch in urban areas after heavy rain or excessive watering.
And you may indeed have thought it to be a bit of vomit or such. In fact it is a species of plasmodial slime mold, and a member of the Myxomycetes class. And it is mobile! You will not see it do 0-100 in a few seconds, but it actually moves.
So next time you see a bit of yellow on the ground, have a closer look at it.
If however you look this one up on Wikipedia it lists less flattering names, like Dog vomit slime mold. In Dutch it is called Heksenboter, or Witches butter.
It looks like this:
(This photo was taken in The Netherlands, but it occurs worldwide.)
You may have seen it in Kruger, the Garden Route parks, or any other place that is quite damp. You will not be likely to find it in the Kgalagadi. It is found on bark mulch in urban areas after heavy rain or excessive watering.
And you may indeed have thought it to be a bit of vomit or such. In fact it is a species of plasmodial slime mold, and a member of the Myxomycetes class. And it is mobile! You will not see it do 0-100 in a few seconds, but it actually moves.
So next time you see a bit of yellow on the ground, have a closer look at it.
This must be the stuff that I found in my garden about a month ago. We had a few trees cut down in the spring and all the branches were put through a chipper to make mulch. I carted many wheelbarrow loads of the stuff to the front gardden and carefully spread it. I was quite proud of myself for being so "green" and saving a few dollars over buying mulch from a garden center. Then I noticed something similar to Fuligo septica and blamed it on the local wildlife (skunks, rabbits, raccoons, feral cat). Now, I have to apologize . 
