Lycogala epidendrum at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen – June 2025

At the beginning of June we were excited to see the return of Lycogala epidendrum to the reserve woodland – here are some highlights.

1st June

Along the path from reception to Basecamp, the remains of a section of trunk were populated with many groups of young, salmon-pink and mature, mouse-grey aethalia.

In the photo below you can see a darker elongated area at the top of some of the aethalia where they will dehisce.

The following week some of the aethalia had begun to dehisce.

And these young salmon pink aethalia…

…a week later had turned mouse‑grey and began to dehisce.

At Basecamp Loop on a decaying trunk that we often find populated with slime moulds, a tight group of mature aethalia.

A week later, the aethalia were dehiscing…

…and the following week, spores had been released.

And the same for this group also on the trunk.

A week later.

And the following week.

There was another group on the trunk that had tiny droplets of water oozing from the aethalia at the point where dehiscence will take place.

In the evening – the same day – the droplets were gone, and the area around the point of dehiscence was a darker brown.

A week later two new maturing aethalia had developed within the group.

At the end of the drainage channel path where we found the likely Physarum psittacinum, higher up on the downed trunk were several groups of vivid coral aethalia.

The bottom left group.

A week later.

And the following week.

The group above the bottom group.

And a week later.

14th June

Along the drainage channel path towards The Outpost, on a downed trunk that we have been monitoring (alongside the path), we spotted young, salmon‑coloured aethalia and what I suspected was Lycogala plasmodium, although it never developed into any aethalia.

A cluster of young aethalia.

And three days later – I’m quite taken by the indents in the central aethalium.

On another part of the trunk was the salmon-coloured plasmodium that I suspect is likely Lycogala epidendrum.

Two days later, the plasmodium had desiccated and contracted, transforming into a coral-coloured mass. Nearby, two maturing aethalia had developed.

The next day the plasmodium had contracted further to a darker brownish red.