Tag Archives: myxomycete

Nature Photography

Slime Molds Time!

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I joke about me being too tall to see slime molds down there on the forest floor, but occasionally I get to spot them. Then comes the process of setting up my camera and tripod in the most awkward position possible and holding my breath for long exposures… I guess if macro photographers ever do yoga or free-diving they will be a force to reckon with in these disciplines.

White slime molds growing on rotten wood.
These Myxos (I think they are Trichia or Hemitrichia) remind me of light bulbs. The fruiting bodies become reddish later.

There are three phases in the life cycle of slime molds that are very photogenic: The unopened fruiting bodies or sporangia, the equivalent of mushrooms; the already opened sporangia that held the spores; and the viscous liquid phase that crawls about, looking for nutrients. I think the latter one looks better in stop motion videos though.

Myxomycetes (opened sporangia)
These are the same white fruiting bodies after they opened.

These things are about a millimeter tall and require stacking macro images to get a good looking image. Luckily, my OM System OM-1 camera can do this automatically as long as I don’t need to do stack more than 15 photos. If more images are needed the camera will take as many as I want but then I have to stack them later using Helicon Focus. Either way it saves you from having to slowly slide the camera in a focusing rail to get each image for the stack.

The white Didymium growing on a leaf was an in-camera stack. You get a ready to use stacked jpeg and also saves the individual raw files in case you need them. The other ones are stacked using Helicon.

Finding a nice subject among these tiny organisms brings about a sense of discovery that certainly makes up for any technical hardships!

Didymium slime molds growing on a leaf.
Didymium growing on a leaf. An in-camera stack ready to use.
Nature Photography

Tiny wonders

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The first time I saw photos of Slime Mold fruiting bodies, the equivalent of fungal caps, I couldn’t help thinking about life on another planet. The fact that these organisms actually turn into a slowly creeping slime when they are not in the reproductive stage sure helps my mental image of something alien.

These sporangia, a more technical name for the reproductive structure, are barely over one millimeter in length (one mm is about 1/24th of an inch). I am not very good at finding them, but there is a large and enthusiastic group of hobbyists and scientists that are constantly publishing photos of Myxomycetes, the technical name for the Slime Molds… they are good at finding these little marvels!

Arcyria incarnata. Photo by Eduardo Libby
Arcyria incarnata sporangia: they remind me of a group of friends gossiping.

These are among the first ones I have photographed. As you know, I am more of a landscape/wildlife photographer but… Hey, one must adapt to pandemic life! I was lucky to spot them growing on some rotting wood logs on the back of my garden.

Arcyria incarnata sporangia. Photo by Eduardo Libby
Arcyria incarnata sporangia or spore-bearing structures after opening.

My friend Federico Valverde was nice enough to identify them for me. He is a retired biologist that has found new fire for his scientific brain finding Slime Molds and photographing them. These beautiful Slime Mold species are named Arcyria incarnata.

Very fitting.

I will try to remember it.