What: I found this patch of wolf’s milk (Lycogala epidendrum) while I was harvesting some Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sp).

Ecological notes: Wolf’s milk is an oddball. It looks like a fungus, but it acts like something entirely different than anything else. It’s actually a slime mold and spends most of its life as a single-celled organism, roaming around rotting wood for its prey. When it’s time for reproduction, these cells will aggregate into fungus-like structures called aethalia. Initially, it’s a hard pink rind with liquidy gel innards that explode when you squeeze them. As they age, they become more like a puffball. The spore body dries and cracks and spores “puff” out when stepped on or when a drop of water hits them.

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