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Slime Molds
2025 began with a burst of color in our yard. Along the wall in our backyard, I spotted a patch of brilliance, the astonishing yellow-gold of a slime mold. It looked a bit like a two-dimensional broccoli, with radiating stems topped by little balls, each about 2 millimeters wide. The growth on fir needles, cones, and sticks was less diverse, basically rows of lemon-colored balls. I have seen slime molds many times before on hikes but never in our yard; I took it for a good omen for the year.
Overlooked, often unloved, sometimes derided, and once an inspiration for an evil alien that ate…
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