Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau
I have noted that you've been quite silent there Rik. Stick aroundJust thought I'd mention that I'm greatly enjoying these pictures and discussion about the myxomycetes. My silence means only that I don't have anything worthwhile to add!
Your comment does not surprise me though. Myxo's are probalby among some of the most overlooked and understudied little creatures around. I myself had never heard of them until a couple of years ago and even then I gave them no second thought until one day I happened to pick up Prof. Stephensons book at the Nature Store in Asheville, N.C., and sort of browsed the pages. The next thing I knew, I purchased the book, a B&L Hastings Triplet hand lens and dashed out of the store headed towards the Blue Ridge Parkway to hunt myxo's. 
People, when they see you prowling underneath a log with your butt up in the air and peering through a tiny magnifying glass seem to either get curious, shy away from you (thinking that they saw you on a telethon once), or call a park ranger thinking that you are molesting some innocent wild creature. 
More than likely you have encountered myxo's in your lifetime so far, as well as many other people. They are quite small and go unnoticed by most everyone, except for those who dilignetly seek them. 