Oh my, look what happened to the plasmodium. Either it ran out of food or it sensed a change in the environment that caused it to turn into sporangia.

Lycogala epidendrum

It started to turn brown overnight.

Plasmodium – Think BLOB (the movie). It can creep along up to an inch per hour as a vein like mass of protoplasm eating and growing as it moves.

Sporangia – in this case a ‘cushioned’ ball made up of spores. When young the ball is a nice bright orange and the insides are liquid.

A cute little cushion on a bed of moss.

The cushions are squishy

Be careful or you might get that teenage feeling when it goes ‘POP’.

This was a young one when the inside was still liquid. And believe me it popped good, sending the fluid a long way. Finger licking good.

More toothpaste on another rotting log.

I didn’t realize how much older it was until I put my finger to it. The inside of this one had already turned into a paste.

The insides (when left alone) will continue to dry and turn brown. Basically it’s a spore sack.

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This is also called Wolf’s Milk slime mold. I can’t imagine why. Too bad whoever gave it that name didn’t watch the Simpsons. Who wants an Orange Squishy from the Kwik-E-Mart?

If this year’s slime post didn’t make you queezy enough – try last year’s:
Toothpaste Slime Mold – Lycogala epidendrum

BTW – this is not a fungus even though it looks like a puffball.