Wolf's milk slime mold

Description:

Slime molds are in a different kingdom from fungi and are more closely related to single-celled organisms. They have two life-cycle stages. The first, “plasmodium” stage is rarely noticed. It is like a huge, single-celled amoeba that creeps on dead plant material in long thin strands, engulfing and “eating” bacteria, yeasts, and fungi. When the plasmodium runs out of food (or when light or moisture changes alter its environment), it converts itself into sporangia--globs or balls made up of spores.