Where do “nivicolous” myxomycetes associated with melting snowbanks occur?

There is a distinctive ecological assemblage of myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds) typically associated with alpine snowbank habitats in temperate regions of the world. 

So, this leads me to explore these myxomycetes in the mountainous region of Japan in early spring.

I went to the mountainous location at altitude of about 700 meters near a ski resort in Shiga Prefecture, from March to April 2025. In those areas, there is enough snowfall during the winter to produce accumulations of snow sufficiently to persist until mid-April.

Actually, I had never seen such slime molds like this before, so at first, I couldn't find it at all! 

This time, I started going up a forest road that branched off from the road to the ski resort. I had never been here before.　Snow still remains in places.

Near the end of the forest road, I examined shrubs growing at an angle from the side of the forest road where there was still snow on the ground.

I found many small black grains on the branches of this shrub at about 1.5-2 m above ground level. I think these slime molds belong to Lamproderma sp.,probably.

 I wondered if I should take some of the slime molds home. But I left them alone.  Even if I take them home, actually I don't have a microscope having good performance to examine details of them. So, I look forward to occurring outbreak next year.