A slime mould - Trichia decipiens

Image: © Lairich Rig Taken: 9 Aug 2016

This slime mould is most eye-catching at an earlier stage of development: Image It then became darker and less glutinous in appearance, with a translucent stalk. When mature, the thin outer layer (peridium) of the upper part dehisces (breaks open); in this case, it occurred along a neat circular line at the top, as shown in the picture. This exposes the capillitium, which is the fluffy-looking structure inside; it bears the spores themselves on elaters. Elaters are thread-like structures that change shape in response to humidity, ensuring that the spores are dispersed in the right conditions; some liverworts employ similarly-functioning structures (which are also called elaters) in the same way: see Image

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