If you step outside one day to find a powerful stink in your freshly-laid mulch or new plants and you don't have a dog, a stinkhorn mushroom might be to blame. This unobtrusive fungi can pop up in wood chips, grass, or soil and they produce a very strong odor. Just like their name implies, stinkhorns produce a stink not unlike fresh manure. Stinkhorns are particularly prone to show up after heavy rains. Just like most fungi, they like … [Read more...]
Yellow Slime Mold – The Dog Vomit Fungus
So you are walking around your yard one day and see a spot of bright yellow in your mulch. What in the world is that? It's a slime mold! This mold is Fuligo septica the vomit slime mold and it shows up in warm, humid conditions and spreads across the top of the material - usually wood mulch. It starts out rather beautiful (at least this one did), with bright colors and a feathery appearance, but in a few days it can really resemble dog vomit … [Read more...]