“Dog Vomit Fungus”, what?
Have you ever seen the lovely sight of the “Dog Vomit Fungus” growing in a mulched area ? The Dog Vomit Fungus is not a fungus, but a slime mold. I guess calling it the “Dog Vomit Slime Mold” wasn’t very appealing to the International Association of Slime Mold Naming Scientists (IASMNS). Anyway, its scientific name is Fuligo septica. Which, when roughly translated into english means, “sticky stuff on the bottom of Bob’s shoe”. The next stage in the life of this slime mold is quite depressing. Like many humans, the mold matures into a harder, larger mass that loses much of its bright attractive color. Although still able to project fear in some people at this stage, it becomes much harder to notice. The next stage in the life of this slime mold is quite depressing.