Aliens in the garden

Okay, that's my rant, now back to my Arboretum visit. I mostly managed to ignore all the cords, spotlights, reflectors and other assorted paraphernalia for the show. That light-filled lawn above is the only altered image I captured, well, nearly. 

I'd almost walked out thru the gates when I realized I still had a half hour before I was going to be tossed out of the garden, just enough time to walk over and explore the pre-historic forest...with aliens and disco balls!?

Aliens had invaded the pre-historic forest!
Naked aliens with mirror-ball heads...

I have to admit, I loved this. It was so unexpected and, well, shiny!
As I snapped these photos I wondered what it would all look like after dark. Was I missing out on some serious light-magic? Nope.
As a plant-lover I happened upon this alien-invasion at just the right time. A Google image search for "after dark" photos proved the plants definitely added to the feel of the installation. 
I'll never look at silly botanic garden shows the same way again!
A couple weeks later, back at home and cleaning up the garden, I thought of those aliens again when I pulled back this Woodwardia unigemmata frond...
...and discovered this! Alien goo!
My glove for scale, it was so shiny and gelatinous! 

The white bits are from the Fatsia japonia blooms above.
I shot off a photo to Tiffany, cause she knows fungus, and her best guess was (get this name!) "Crystal Brain Fungus" aka Exidia nucleata. Yep, read all about that business here. The photos in that link definitely look right, even if it says the fungus is found on dead and decaying hardwood and mine was on gravel under a Fatsia japonica. 

To add to my alien feeling about the whole thing, last weekend I found a little more "jelly" in an entirely different part of the garden—although it was still near a fatsia. This time the alien goo was on a Fatsia polycarpa bloom stem. However I have not seen any shiny aliens or disco balls in my garden. Yet.