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Project Noah Nature School
Hemitrichia serpula
Orange, pretzel-shaped network of slime mold strands.
Habitat: Under the bark of a snag in a deciduous forest.
Slime molds do not form penetrating or absorptive masses of hyphae on the wood substrate. Rather, slime molds form structures called plasmodia, which do not have cell walls. Plasmodia are masses of protoplasm which can move and engulf particles of food in an amoeboid manner. They creep over surfaces, engulfing bacteria, fungal spores, protozoa, and particles of nonliving organic matter. Eventually, the plasmodia turn into spore-bearing structures.In Hemitrichia, the plasmodium forms a plasmodiocarp fruiting body where the spore-forming structure retains theshape of the main veins of the plasmodium.
Spotted on Sep 30, 2018
Submitted on Oct 1, 2018
12 Comments
Thanks so much for all the comments and for SOTD! I've heard this slime compared to pretzels (duh!), cheez whiz, candy, and jalebi. In fact, when I found it, my son actually asked if he could eat it, lol.
Congratulations Christine! Truly extraordinary and beautiful!
Very nice! Love the color.
WAY TO GO, Christine!! CONGRATS!! :)
Congratulations Christine on SOTD! Love this one.
Congrats on your sotd.
Well deserved SOTD Christine...congratulations 😀
So visually appealing but I wouldn't eat it! Congratulations Christine, your
Pretzel Slime Mold is our Spotting of the Day:
"It grows as un unmistakable mustard-yellow network on dead wood, leaves, and plant litter! This Pretzel Slime Mold (Hemitrichia serpula) is our Spotting of the Day. In its vegetative state, this widespread slime mold (Class: Myxomycete) forms a plasmodium that branches out with turns, forming a pretzel-like structure that can cover several square centimeters.
Find out more here: https://buff.ly/2xXFuYO "
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It looks amazing Christine. Great spotting.
Thanks Greg and Sarah! This one definitely made me gasp out loud! I had been hoping to find pretzel slime for a long time!
Love THAT color!! What a sweet find!!
Oh wow! that is such a cool spotting Christine.