PINK FUNGI

Eric spotted these pink fungi on a log by our tool shed.

 

I asked Simon, our expert, and he revealed that they are not fungi but slime moulds.

At one stage of their 4-phase life they just become slime, hence the name.  But here they have formed into sporangia, which produce spores to start the next generation.

Simon says:  

"They are Slime Moulds and if you squish one it will be either orange / pink inside or grey, I think one has the common name Wolfs Milk though I wouldn’t recommend it with your Coco Pops! J  Google should help with more info now you have a name"

and directs us to a page on the  First Nature  website which has some interesting info about these curious organisms

They are single celled creatures that group together and move in their quest for food which is bacteria, yeasts and other decay organisms.   Read more about them on the    woodlands.co.uk     website

https://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/flora-and-fauna/the-mysterious-world-of-the-slime-mould/