Backyard and Beyond

This was too high up, on a dead part of a big red oak, to get a better photo, but damn, isn’t it amazing? The Asian Beauty (Radulomyces copelandii) fungus is a recent introduction from Asia, with the first East Coast records in Massachusetts only from 2011. It seems to be moving fast. The Japanese name translates as “Hanging Needle Mushroom.”
Three days later, the stalactite-shapes had some nice caramelization… I guess time will tell if this becomes a problematic species.
Something that could use some caramelization? This is a slime mold, perhaps a Mucilago, on a wood chip pile. Scrambled eggs or dog vomit? Dog Sick Slime Mold is a contender for the ID here, actually.

That’s right, the orange bits are moving. They seem to be Vitronura springtails.Slime molds cover some territory as a term, as explained here. They used to be considered fungi but are no longer. Like animals, plants, or fungi, they are eukaryotes, but they’re not animals, plants, or fungi. They’re Protists.