 EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes
and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and
archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


 Careful Where You Step

   October 29, 2021

    Dale_H_20210722_195455_resized (003)

   Photographer:  Dale Hugo

   Summary Author:  Dale Hugo;  Jim Foster

   If you’re out trick-or-treating this weekend, be careful where you
   step. This gross looking  slime mold is called  Fuligo septica,
   but its common name is, appropriately, the dog vomit fungus. It’s an
    artillery fungus that loves to grow on rich, fertilized mulch that
   many landscapers use. If you’re bold enough to touch it, a cloud of
   reddish-brown spores explodes and then drifts in the wind.

    Fungi grows nearly everywhere. A type of fungus even grows between
   the windows of the International Space Station. More than 30,000
   species of fungi are known to exist, with most not yet properly
   identified or verified. It’s believed that the largest single organisms
   on Earth, by mass, are fungi. One large and in charge fungus underlies
   an entire forest in Michigan and weighs hundreds of tons.

   Surprisingly, there’s actually a type of  slime mold capable of
    moving  across the forest floor to reach and engulf its dinner.
   Now this is too scary even for Halloween. Photo taken in mid-July 2021,
   from Arlington Heights, Illinois.
     * Arlington Heights, Illinois Coordinates: 42.0884, -87.9806

Related EPODs

    Careful Where You Step  Fish Lake Aspens in Autumn  From
   North America to the Holy Land  Archive - Colorful Leaf Layers
    Archive - Monarch Butterfly and Chrysalis  Four Seasons of
   Wisteria
    More...

Plant Links

     *  Discover Life
     *  Tree Encyclopedia
     *  What are Phytoplankton?
     *  Encyclopedia of Life - What is a Plant?
     *  USDA Plants Database
     *  University of Texas Native Plant Database
     *  Plants in Motion
     *  What Tree is It?

-
   Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the  Universities
   Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu
 
