Wolf’s Milk Slime Mold – 6/26/26

Observer: Gaurav Shah

Observation Date: 6/26/26

Observation Time: 11:00 a.m.

Observation Location: Borderland State Park

Common Name: Wolf’s Milk Slime Mold

Scientific Name: Lycogala epidendrum

Comments: Slime molds are neither plants nor animals. They are members of the phylum Amoebozoa, and are related to amoeba. Slime molds are aggregates of single-celled organisms. Some kinds of slime molds can grow up to 9 feet long! Slime molds typically aggregate to form a plasmodium — a multinucleate mass of undifferentiated cells that may move in an ameboid-like fashion during the search for nutrients. Slime molds are examples of cellular communication and differentiation, and may provide insights into how multicellular organisms develop.

Lycogala epidendrum, commonly known as wolf’s milk or groening’s slime, is a cosmopolitan species of myxogastrid amoeba which is often mistaken for a fungus. The aethalia, or fruiting bodies, occur either scattered or in groups on damp rotten wood, especially on large logs, from June to November.

More Information: Wikipedia

On the intelligence of slime molds: https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/thinking-without-a-brain/