We purchased straw bales for Autumn decorations earlier this season. 2 of the bales remained in a dry location on our porch while another sat in the yard on a mulch bed exposed to the elements.

By the time I got ready to remove the decorations, the bales on the porch were very light and easy to move. Meanwhile, the bale in the yard was heavy and I thought it was just from moisture. I put the bale in the garage for almost a week without seeing exactly what it looked like as I moved it at night.

To my surprise, there was green grass growing in it. There were what looked like young mushrooms with black tops growing. And then there were slugs. And it was still pretty heavy. I'm just amazed at how it turned into it's own little ecosystem. Is it normal that all these organisms turned the straw into a home?