When I was a little kid ...

March 28, 2020

When I was a little kid, I was always on the hunt for A Good Stick, which all little kids are able to easily identify. A Good Stick is one that is more or less straight and has enough structural integrity to poke any number of things without breaking. Often, I would find a stick that didn't pass muster, usually because it was rotting and crumbling apart. These reject sticks often had this weird yellow-orange fungus growing out of them, and I always wondered what it was. As it turns out, this is Tremella mesenterica, a common jelly fungus also known as yellow brain, yellow trembler or witches' butter. It's found on dead tree branches, and it's a parasitic fungus; however, it is not a parasite of the tree itself! It's actually a parasite of wood decay fungi in the genus Peniophora. The Peniophora fungi tend to grow underneath the bark of dead branches, and Tremella mesenterica parasitizes this fungi. When it comes time to reproduce, Tremella mesenterica grows a fruiting body — the spongy yellowish-orange mass seen here — which pushes through the bark and spreads its spores. When the fruiting body first forms, it is more of a yellow color and nearly translucent; as it ages and dries, the colors turn darker. #BenInNature

About this post: Social distancing can be difficult, but the next few weeks present a great opportunity to become reacquainted with nature. While he is working from home, Administrator of Science Ben Williams is venturing outdoors each day to record a snapshot of the unique sights that can be found in the natural world.

This post brought to you by VMNH Corporate Partner The Lester Group.