Orangish growth

Question: What is this growth? Appeared a couple of weeks ago on pachysandra. Doesn’t seem to harm plants.

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied April 08, 2024, 11:40 AM EDT
response: We can't concretely identify the substance yet given the images, but it does resemble a type of slime mold, which can be a range of colors depending on the species. We know you sent the question in a couple days ago...how does the orange material look today? More information can also help us narrow-down possible candidates. Is the substance drier now, more expansive, or shriveled? We're happy to look at more photos if it looks different. If you pull it apart or cut it in half, what does it look like inside? Dry and powdery? Or is it completely gooey in consistency? Does the leaf underneath the residue look normal, or is there a lesion of dead leaf tissue?  If it is a slime mold, no action needs to be taken as they are harmless and won't infect living plants (they feed on organic debris); they tend to go away almost as quickly as they appear, though might return temporarily with the next onset of wet weather.  Miri

responder: The Question Asker Replied April 08, 2024, 1:49 PM EDT
response: Thank you for your response.The orange material looks the same.  Everywhere it appears as the same orange color and has been the way through some heavy rainstorms we’ve experienced recently. It is very dry. Breaks in half easily with no visible powder or “crumbs”. It is light in weight. It does not appear to have shriveled. Where I have removed it from the leaves (it is very lightly attached and comes off easily) it maintains its color and shape. The leaf underneath looks normal. No dead lesion. I will send photos of it broken in half. On Apr 8, 2024, at 11:40 AM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied April 08, 2024, 2:33 PM EDT
response: Thank you for the additional information. This sounds more like solidified spray foam, then, than a plant disease or even slime mold. Would anyone have been spraying it on something near this area (like sealing a vent cover gap, window or door frame, etc.), where some fell and finished expanding (and hardening) on top of the Pachysandra foliage?  Miri

responder: The Question Asker Replied April 08, 2024, 6:15 PM EDT
response: The area is not near my house or my neighbor’s house. Neither I nor my neighbor have had work done using any kind of spray foam.  Since I first noticed the orange material - it has spread to a couple of other plants. When I first spotted the material, I assumed it was Cheeto’s spilled onto my property or brought by birds. Any other ideas I can pursue? They use bright orange spray foams in construction? I’m not saying that’s not what it is; but, I didn’t know they used such vibrant colors, Interesting. On Apr 8, 2024, at 2:33 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied April 09, 2024, 10:39 AM EDT
response: We also thought of Cheetos but would assume they'd have disintegrated by now, and even if wildlife carried them into the area, we would not expect the smaller pieces visible in the background to be clinging to the leaf in that manner instead of falling more haphazardly onto (or through) the groundcover's foliage. We're checking with one of our plant pathologists in case she recognizes it, but we doubt it's anything of concern since you said it detaches easily and the leaf tissue underneath is unharmed. That is a trait fitting with slime molds, but it could be something abiotic (non-living) as well, like the aforementioned foam. (Could someone have put something out in that area to spray and then brought it back inside? For example, some people creating a customized background for a terrarium enclosure use spray foam on the glass or to connect pieces of driftwood. Some types of spray foam do cure into an orangey color, though probably not usually this neon-bright.)  You mentioned it spreading to other plants in the meantime...can you share photos of those? Maybe we can discern a pattern to the distribution.  Miri

responder: The Question Asker Replied April 09, 2024, 10:58 AM EDT
response: Everyone has been questioned about foam products. So, the only way that happened, is that someone pulled into our driveway and discharged the foam which we think is unlikely. On Apr 9, 2024, at 10:39 AM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied April 09, 2024, 11:06 AM EDT
response: Agreed, ok. As soon as we receive feedback, we'll let you know what our plant pathologist thinks when she views the photo we sent her (we provided the information you shared with us as well). Additional photos would still be helpful, but she might have an idea with the initial image in the meantime.  Miri

responder: The Question Asker Replied April 09, 2024, 11:48 AM EDT
response: I will send more photos. The orange material has no odor. Sent from my iPhone On Apr 9, 2024, at 11:06 AM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:﻿