Day 138: My initial reaction when I spotted these at a distance was, "Oooooooh, slime mold!" but when I got closer and saw the network of fine roots, I realized I'd been fooled again. Frankias are nitrogen-fixing bacteria which live on the roots of various trees and plants, especially those in stressed conditions where natural nutrients are limited. The different strains of Frankia tend to be specific to certain hosts. In this instance, the host roots belong to Alnus rubra (Red Alder), a tree quite common to the lowlands of western Washington. Experiments with Frankia inoculation have been done successfully to increase performance of Alder stands in poor soils, and although I'm not sure that was the case at this location, there certainly seems to be a lot of it, waiting to trick me into thinking I've found a slime mold, if only momentarily.
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