International Super Slime Found In At Least 1 Central NY Forest

Do you recall stories from the past year about seeing purple paint on trees? This sure does seem to resemble that, just a different color, but it is not paint.

Want to get up close and personal with it? It is right here in Central New York. Doesn't it look like something that might not be super safe to encounter? The yellow color would sure make you think that. Totally safe though. In fact, it's a vital part of forests not only here locally in Central New York, but around the world according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

It goes by the name physarum polycephalum for those who love the scientific name. This slime is also referred to as The Blob. Unlike the classic late 1950's black and white movie, this blob means no harm and puts you in no danger. It simply means to decompose stuff in the forest. Don't worry, it decomposes only dead things. Look back at the picture, the tree it is on has fallen, the blob gets to work. Nature's way of cleaning up the forest on a yearly basis each autumn around the globe.

So, how do you encounter it? That will take a little effort, but you won't have to drive all that far. Take a trip to the Ferris Lake Wild Forest in Cold Brook, New York. Yup, this blob is in Herkimer county. You'll have to walk around and search for it, but it can be found. You also could encounter it in Paris, but why would you go there when it is in CNY?

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