Trichia Decipiens

Day 28: "From across a crowded room, she heard someone speak her name..." Well, not exactly. I was at the back of the line (the mushroom walk had about 20 attendees), thoroughly engrossed in explaining how to identify Usneas as a genus to one of the other participants, and the words "slime mold" caught my attention. Funny how the ear can pick out significant sounds among the noise. Immediately, I wove myself tabby-style through the group, passing one person on the left, the next on the right until I was at the head of the line where I saw someone holding a palm-sized piece of bark studded with tiny orange pins. It had been too long since my last slime mold hunt for me to recall the name on the spot, but it was one I'd seen before. Checking my blog at home quickly brought up Trichia decipiens, sometimes called "salmon eggs" for the colour (NB: the scientific name is under revision and may now be Hemitrichia). These cute little buggers are 2-3mm tall, and occur on both conifer and hardwood bark. Although we'd been out to learn more about mushrooms, a slime mold made my day.

Trichia Decipiens

Day 358: In the last week, I have found three species of slime mold, a bit of a surprise given cooler, wetter weather. Slime molds are more commonly out and about when conditions are dry and warm. That said, this one (Trichia decipiens) was a new one for me. As you can tell from the wood grain, they're tiny little buggers, but I'd tuned my eye for red/orange, having been out on a hunt for Ramaria araiospora and as a sidebar, a potential chanterelle dinner. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw them, giving vent to the phrase which will go down in history as my contribution to science: "What the hell is that?" In the next heartbeat, I said, "Ooooooh, new slime mold!" Seriously, I'd be the easiest person to find if I ever got lost in the forest. Searchers could locate me by ear if they listened for my running natural-history soliloquy. Trichia decipiens has a fondness for decaying conifer wood, thus the Pacific Northwest makes an ideal home for the species. Slime molds being what they are, I can't help but wonder if their plans for world domination are being coordinated from Mount Rainier National Park.