SLIME MOLD
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Featured Fungus... wait! Not a fungus!
SLIME MOLD
Slime
molds are amoeba-like protists, similar to fungi. They exist in nature as a plasmodium, a
'blob' of protoplasm without cell walls and only a cell membrane to keep everything
in. -fungi have cell walls!
They
are not parasitic, so they will not cause direct harm to your plants or your
family. Occasionally they can cause problems on lawns or low-growing ground
covers by blocking the necessary sunlight that plants need to grow, but in most
cases they are completely harmless. They feed on microorganisms in dead plant
material -decomposers!
Enjoy
the diversity of Nature! Slime molds
indicate an abundance of organic matter and they are very short lived!
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