Pink Foam in Flower Beds: Harmless Vomit Fungus

Pink/brown/yellow foamy mass hardening to dark crust, yellow ooze when poked—Fuligo septica (vomit fungus/slime mold).

What It Is

A slime mold (not true fungus) feeding on bacteria in thick mulch. Harmless to plants. Spores spread when disturbed.

No danger to people or pets.

Pests: Copper Fungicide for Garden Fungus and Mushrooms; Slime Mold on Lawn: Harmless, Short-Lived; Harmless Slime Mold on Mulch: Fungus That Disappears in Dry Weather; Controlling Early Blight on Tomatoes in Raised Beds: Fungicides, Watering, and Blossom Set; Hard, Hollow 'Bubbles' in Lawn: Identifying and Treating Soil Fungus; Vinegar as Fungicide for Sarracenia: Experimental and Risky; Treating Cottony Mold on Indoor Basil Plants; Lichen on Rose of Sharon: Symptom, Not Cause of Decline; Lawn Fungus Spread to Shrubs: Yes, But Limited; Fungus in Pressure-Treated Wood: Structural Decay, Not Surface Growth

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