The Dog Always Gets the Blame

When I arrived home after three days in Monterey Bay, I found a disgusting pile of something on my front lawn. I had made cauliflower curry a few days earlier, so naturally that was the first thing that came to mind. Had some animal gotten into the house, eaten the leftovers, and vomited on the lawn? That couldn’t be. Still, it certainly looked as if some creature had regretted a very bad meal.

I checked the Reconyx camera to see if it had captured the culprit, but there were only the usual visitors: foxes and a skunk. None of them had been near the mysterious mess.

I uploaded a photo and discovered that a slime mold had taken up residence on the lawn. Colloquially, it’s called Dog Vomit Slime Mold. Scientifically, it is Fuligo septica. Despite its offensive appearance, it isn’t harmful to humans or other critters. It can move, and it changes rather rapidly.

The first three photos were taken an hour apart. The fourth was taken three hours after the last. I had hoped the slime would creep across the lawn, as it sometimes does. It didn’t, but you can see how more bright yellow goo appeared, then gradually began turning brown and decaying. As it decays, it releases spores, ensuring its continued existence.

Some people clean up slime mold, but I decided to let it be. By the next day, it had turned completely brown. In a few days, it will likely be absorbed back into the earth, providing nutrients for some other organism in the endless recycling program of the natural world.