Slime Mitt

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slime

Some like it, others find it disgusting. The slime mitt is an odd plant with carnivorous tendencies. But not to worry: its diet is restricted to rather small innocent insectoids, and poses no danger to anything bigger. Then again, some people are quite allergic to some constituents of its slime, but those who do become well aware of this after having been in contact with one just once, and will avoid further injury. The slime mitt's mucous membrane does not contain any structural fibres, but is formed anew every night. In the morning it unfolds its fingerlike sprouts from a ball of mucus, stretching a film of slime between them as it unwraps. During the day, some flies and other insectoids may get caught in the membrane, and spend the rest of the day, and of their lives, futilely buzzing. It may be just as well they do not scream.
In the moist, nearly completely saturated wet atmosphere of the undergrowth the membrane will not dry out. When it becomes dark again, the fingers start curling up, taking the unlucky prey with it, to be encapsulated and digested.

pretty picture

Here is a Slime Mitt in its natural surroundings. See the coloured leaves just behind the transparent slime membrane? Yes, those are meant to attract the insectoids. Mimicry, that's what it is. Everything here is covered in moss, lichens or crumsles. The light is fairly typical too: no sharp contrasts, just muted colours.

Imaging tips
Here, the imager could not resist taking multiple frames over a length of time. Nothing brings out the slow change of time as well as showing the changes of light. This image must have been taken an hour or two before the previous one. A bit of light from behind is probably all the direct light this mitt ever gets. The imager must have been waiting a long time to find just ths angle, But patience and planning are behind many 'spontaneous' images.
Magpie Imager XR with floating solids. F=0.46, Ts(x)=30 seconds.

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