FungiFriday: Push Pin Slime Mold

Time flies so quickly that it feels like it was only yesterday that it was Friday, and now it's Friday once more. This is, indeed, a special day for mushroom enthusiasts. By the way, I wish to post some macro pics of mushrooms, and this is also my contribution to #FungiFriday by @ewkaw.

It began when I was mowing the lawn in my yard and noticed weird yellow objects on the rotting wood beneath the starfruit tree. At first glance, they appear to be bug eggs. However, upon careful scrutiny, I noticed that these were one-of-a-kind mushrooms.

It didn't take long to locate information about this mushroom because numerous mushroom-related websites supply a wealth of knowledge. As a result, I've identified that this is Hemitrichia calyculata, a member of the family Trichiida and also known as the "push pin slime mold".

The following traits help to identify Hemitrichia calyculata: The upper stalk forms a cup with a funnel-like structure and slender stems. The capillitium is composed of a thick network of tiny yellow threads with four or five spiral bands measuring 5-7 mm in diameter. With a height of about 1-3 mm, this fungus spreads and grows in clusters on the rotting wood.

So, that's the narrative of my experience with the "push pin slime mold" that I can tell you about. Next Friday, we'll meet up again. Happy #FungiFriday!

^{Sources of reading:}
^{1. hiddenforest.co.nz}
^{2. inaturalist.org}