Dog Vomit Slime Mold

Dog Vomit Slime Mold, Fuligo septica

The slime mold Fuligo septica is commonly known as either Dog vomit slime mold or Scrambled eggs slime mold. Often spotted in humid late spring up through early fall, the plasmodium stage creeps along dead wood and other materials to engulf and consume bacteria, spores of fungi and plants, and protozoa as well as particles of nonliving organic matter. When either the food runs out or conditions become too dry, the slime mold enters the sporangia stage where it becomes dusty and dry allowing the spores to blow away. Of the slime molds, Fuligo septica produces the largest spore-producing structure known. It is also one of the most common and distinctive in appearance. Slime mold is near impossible to remove and is not known to cause illness in humans, but they do play an important role in helping to break down tough, decaying materials and returning those nutrients back into the soil.