Slime mold has been observed very rarely on Long Island, but the uniqueness of the organism and its life cycle warrants sharing images of an occurrence on strawberry. It is not a fungus nor a pathogen, but rather a primitive type of eukaryotic organism that feeds on organic matter. These organisms live freely as single cells. They aggregate together to form a visible multicellular structure for reproduction (white growth and upright black structures in pictures). The structure moves as the individuals move together. Sometimes it moves onto living plant tissue giving the impression it is a pathogen. There is a lot of information and time-lapse videos on the internet that can be found by searching ‘slime mold’.
Following two photographs were taken in New Jersey by Raymond Samulis (Rutgers University).
