Mouldy marvels

The name slime mould may not sound very inspiring but soon after discovering them, while searching for fungi, I became captivated by their ethereal beauty,’ says gardener and photographer Barry Webb. ‘I couldn’t understand why I had never noticed them before. Perhaps it was because their fruiting bodies usually stand only 0.5mm – 3mm tall!’

The myxomycetes – slime mould fruiting bodies – pictured here might appear only as dots to the human eye, but once magnified by camera equipment, they reveal an incredible diversity of shape and colour. It’s testament to what can be done with modern photography methods. Webb uses an Olympus camera with a 60mm macro lens with extension tubes to take his pictures. He sometimes adds a magnifying lens on the front of the macro lens. Each image is then constructed from 30 to 100 focusbracketed shots, each taken with a very slightly different point of focus. The images are then combined in specialist software to pick out the sharpest parts of each picture.

But all that comes later. First, you have to find the subjects. ‘Finding slime moulds is often a challenge,’ says Webb. ‘I am fortunate to live in a part of the UK that has large areas of ancient woodland. I frequently spend all day, searching on and under decaying logs and sifting carefully through leaf litter. After several years of searching, I have begun to “get a feeling” that certain logs may be worth examining more closely. Interestingly, it is possible to find slime moulds at all times of the year in the UK, except in drought conditions.’ Webb’s meticulous work means he helps contribute records for the database of his local woodland, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a National Nature Reserve. But he would like his images to have a wider impact too. ‘I hope that my images open people’s eyes to the beauty of these tiny organisms that so often go unnoticed.’

Website: www.barrywebbimages.co.uk Instagram: @barrywebbimages

A group of immature Arcyria species slime mould, barely 1.5mm tall, growing on a decaying pine log. In order to provide more accurate identification, microscopy is often necessary to examine mature specimens and their spores

Stemonitis are one of the tallest species of slime mould. These Stemonitis fusca were 7-8mm and found on a rotten log. Their colour changed from pink, to maroon and finally brown, within eight hours

Tiny, 1mm tall, Lamproderma scintillans, growing on the edge of a dead leaf among leaf litter in ancient woodland

Early stage Stemonitis flavogenita, 6-7mm tall, growing on a rotten birch trunk on the woodland floor. The beautiful yellow colour turns brown within hours, leading to the common name of chocolate tube slime mould

A group formation of 3mm tall Comatricha nigra, showing three distinct stages. The central, black, shiny sphere is the first stage. The second stage is dark brown and clearly shows the spores. The third stage has dried to a much lighter brown, in preparation for spore dispersal

Mature, 3mm tall Hemitrichia calyculata growing on a decaying branch. The expanded, thread-like capillitia can clearly be seen after spore dispersal