Red Raspberry Slime

Description:

These bright raspberry red lobulated patches were seen on wood chip mulch. A closer look at the patches revealed rounded sporangia ( spore bearing structures). The sporangia were clustered together forming densely packed masses (pseudoaethalium). The slime mold had creeped under and over the wood chips.

Habitat:

Spotted in a garden - near an old quarry. they seem to be everywhere and mostly in this stage of the cycle.

Notes:

Slime mold move over surfaces engulfing bacteria, spores of fungi and plants, protozoa, and particles of nonliving organic matter. Unlike fungi, they are not penetrative on wood nor do they form hyphal masses on the surface. With environmental and temperature changes, the plasmodia thicken to form spore bearing masses such as those in this spotting. The clusters turn purplish and then mature to brown masses. They later release their spores into the wind...
Phylum: Myxomycota
Order: Liceales
Family: Reticulariaceae