Tapioca ??

I was informed about this foamy sort of substance which had appeared in the leaf litter by one of our young helpers. At the time I was shattered after a rather physically demanding day and was happy to retire to the elusive indoors. Thankfully our resident fungi expert brought a specimen to me....a slime mould, or Tapioca Slime Mould, or so I think!

Slime Moulds were once considered to be fungi but are now classified in a completely different kingdom. They begin life as tiny amoeba-like organisms which hunt for bacteria to eat. They mate to produce plasmodia which can grow to a large size feeding on micro-organisms. These slimy masses can move like giant amoeba. When food begins to wane, the plasmodium migrates to the surface and produces fruiting bodies (these are the fungi-like structures that we find). The plasmodia produce spores which hatch into amoebae to begin the life-cycle again.