This month's fungus is Fuligo septica , the dog vomit slime mold. I'll have the answers to your questions later.
Some people seem almost desperate to get rid of it.
Here is a representative sample of the fun emails I've received in the past year. I figured it was easier to make a web page about it than to keep answering the same questions over and over. I hope you can help me. I've never seen anything like this. I scattered wood chips in my yard to cut down on the amount of mud the dogs would drag into the house after it rained.