animal? vegatable? or a childs' sweet?

[wildone]

ID needed please, but as you can see by the title I didn't know where to place it. Can somebody throw some light on what it might be? Wildone

[Helen]

Where, when, was this taken, approximate size too?

[StuartDH]

Blimey! I've never seen one of these before. Looks like the dots are individual eggs suspended in a jelly, but I'm probably wrong, so it'll be great to find out what it really is.

[fbcpmike]

Snail / Slug eggs ?, although a web search suggested they might even be Tree Frog eggs but I dont' think so, but.....
Where / when was the photo taken.
Is it possible to keep an eye on the "blob" to see what develops ?.

[henrya]

If it was close to a pond, could be eggs of an aquatic snail that had lost its way. The terrestrial slug and snail eggs I've seen look more like pale caviare.

henrya

[Jo Pedder]

They do look very similar to aquatic snail eggs, though I doubt an aquatic snail would have left the water accidently and laid. I've just googled for snail egg pictures and havn't managed to come up with any terrestrial snails with egg cases like that. I've got the collins slugs and snails at home, so will have a look tonight.

[Jo Pedder]

i've contacted Arno Brosi, who breeds snails (http://www.arnobrosi.com/) with a link to this site. he says:

Dear Jo,it doesn't look like anything a terrestrial snail would lay.And I doubt its a slugcasing either,since they usually lay their eggs in the soil or under logs,rocks etc.My feeling says its not connected to anything snail like.

best wishes,Arno

[wildone]

Hi Everybody thank you for taking the trouble to find out what this is. It was taken at Bluebell Wood, Ferry Meadows, Peterborough, yesterday 16th. I suppose it is about 5-6mm long (I'm not very good at estimating sizes). The river is fairly nearby but the actual position of the 'thing' was very near to a spring which comes out of the hillside. I only noticed it because I was looking for the Water Mint which I had snapped a few weeks ago. Went there today but could not find the 'whatever'. Maybe I didn't look in the exact spot. Hope to go again on Wednesday and will do a proper search. If there is any other info you need just ask. Wildone

[Helen]

A boiled sweet spat out by a child

[wildone]

Originally Posted by Helen

A boiled sweet spat out by a child

I was almost of the same thought myself until I put the image on screen and enlarged it. Then I noticed what appeared to be seeds? eggs? inside. Yesterday after I first saw it I returned an hour or so later and it was still in the same position. I wonder if it was a sweet would it not have slid further to the end of the leaf? Wildone

[henrya]

Given the size, I still think it's from an aquatic snail. Is it possible, Wildone, that the leaf was under water earlier, and has now risen above water level, either by growth or fall in water level. This happens to my Great Crested Newts - they lay eggs on water plants (sometimes mint, as it happens) that then grows and hoists the poor eggs into the dry atmosphere.

henrya

[Tinkerbell]

You'll have to tie a bit of ribbon close by and keep returning daily, Wildone, until you find out what it grows into. I'm fascinated by this, so please keep us up to date.

[wildone]

Originally Posted by henrya

Given the size, I still think it's from an aquatic snail. Is it possible, Wildone, that the leaf was under water earlier, and has now risen above water level, either by growth or fall in water level. This happens to my Great Crested Newts - they lay eggs on water plants (sometimes mint, as it happens) that then grows and hoists the poor eggs into the dry atmosphere.
henrya

Returned today as I had said. Well it certainly is not a sweet, Helen. There was another nearby, about 6 ins away.

They are both on stinging nettle leaves. The water there is never very much as it is where the water table seeps out and runs down and across the path, the other side of which is the old boat place. The plants are at the edge of the path. There used to be a boathouse there but that is long since gone. There is always some moisture there, enough for the water-mint to grow, albeit not lushly. The water drains to the old boathouse area. Tried something new with the camera today but have found the images useless. Next time I'll go back to the old method.

The leaves on which the things sit, are well up the plants and I would think never had been in water. The second one which I found today looked older than the first one. They are definitely jelly like in consistency. I used a craft knife and lifted the edge up, it fell back as if it had not been touched. But it was soft.

As to keeping an eye to see what develops. Unfortunately it is 25 miles away. I hope to make another trip at the weekend and hopefully again next Wednesday, but the weather is going to be a deciding factor.

Wildone
PS What I am willing to do in the name of curiosity. W

[nightshade]

wildone do be careful it sounds the sort of place to be cautious around,especially after heavy rain you do take a companion or at least say where you are and what time you expect to be back etc.

[wildone]

Hi nightshade, Thank you for your concern. Please remember that where I go is at the edge of the fens and hills are just a rise in the surrounding level. Ferry Meadows is a Country Park which was constucted when Peterborough became a 'New Town' some 30 years ago. Wherever I can take the 'battericar' is quite safe and also I have a mobile phone with me with the duty ranger's number already in. That really is in case of breakdown but obviously could be used at other times if needed.

Where the water comes down from is no more than 2 to 3 meters in height. As I wrote it then crosses the path, which is tarmacadam, and the old boat-house area is secured. The trickle of water finds it's way down to that area and eventually joins the river. My 'things' are at the bottom of the 'hill' beside the path.

I live in the fens where the local 'hill' is just 6 meters above the surounding fen. It can hardly be noticed with the naked eye but seen on a map. How I envy some of you with hills all around you.

They have found that the fens are idea for wind turbines because there is nothing to stop the wind all the way from the arctic, or so it seems . Never mind the Whooper and Tundra Swans which over-fly the area to and from their feeding grounds and the roost at Welney. But that is a grouse for another time.

Anyway thank you once again. It is great that the members on this site have regard for each other.

Regards, Wildone

[Tinkerbell]

We know Ferry Meadows quite well too, Wildone, having previously lived in Oakham - though no doubt the meadows have matured somewhat since we last visited. As an aside, I'm interested to hear that you live in the fens - you may not have the hills we enjoy here in north Yorkshire, but the fens are very unique in their own way, and fascinate me. The sky in particular can be quite amazing. (By the way I am currently reading Edward Storey - The Winter Fens and love his descriptions of life in that environment).

Incidentally, this thread has probably got us all fascinated.

[wildone]

I am also more than keen to know what these things are. When I next go, either tomorrow or Sunday I will arm myself to the teeth with camera, craft knife, magnifying glass, tape measure and anything else I think may help to ID what they are.

I have only lived in the fens for the past 17 years. What I miss most of all is trees and hedges. A couple of years ago I noticed that there seemed to be even larger expanses of Oil Seed Rape so I went alongside the fields and clocked 1 (one) mile of unending OSR with only drainage ditches to separate the fields. These ditches have no hedges and can hardly be seen. As I have often been heard to say "an agri-desert".

Tinkerbell, let me know when you were last at Ferry Meadows and I'll send some recent pics to you personally.

Regards to all

Wildone

[henrya]

Wildone,

If you can rephotograph the first one you found, we'd be able to see if it has changed. If you find lots more, I'd be very tempted to take one into captivity - if they lift off easily enough you could take the whole leaf and then move the 'thing' onto to a convenient plant in your garden - save you a long trip every time you wanted to look at it!

henrya

[wildone]

Henrya

Good tip but, the excuse for frequent visits is to refresh my soul with birdsong, trees, like minded people etc. I certainly make an effort to go at least once a week. During term-time I need to anyway.

Unfortunately for me Welney and Welches Dam although nearer are not viable. Even the Nene Washes means I can only view from the car. Hinchinbrooke CP is about the same distance as Ferry Meadows and like there I can have the use of a 'battericar'. Not much else in the Fens in the way of wildlife unfortunately.

Ciao

Wildone

PS Have just thought could perhaps bring one back to the small wood where I feed the birds, there is a small drainage ditch there always water in it at this time of year. Not to put the 'whatever' in, but nearby, so that if it is something that needs water ... . W

[Tinkerbell]

Wildone -

Have been trawling my books, and wonder if Caddis fly eggs might be an explanation (AA Book of the British Countryside) I've been trying to find a photo on the net without success, so we are extremely fortunate to have your contribution - supposing it is Caddis fly.

[StuartDH]

I think you're definitely right on this one Tinkerbell. I've just looked in an old AA countryside book and it shows an almost identical picture to Wildone's with the description - 'Caddis fly eggs, embedded in a mass of protective jelly, are laid on waterside plants'.

I guess this means we have throw out any alien theories that we may have secretly had

Go on, admit it, I bet you thought it could be little green men at least for just one minute

[Tinkerbell]

If it is the Caddis, the adult emerges between Sept and Nov and lays the eggs as soon as possible afterwards (fits), as the female only lives for 5 days. The eggs hatch after about 3 weeks.

Just goes to show again, how much we have to learn about British nature. I for one have enjoyed this exercise - let's have a few more, please.

[wildone]

Hi Tinkerbell, now I really do believe in fairies My copy of the AA Book of Britain's Countryside doesn't have it in. Now all we have to do is to discover which particular species of caddisfly it might be. Can you wave your wand again? and give us the answer Anyway my thanks to you and all who endevoured to ID it. Wildone

[wildone]

Just to let you know that I am endevouring to get the thing positively IDed with species name etc. Having found something rather unusual I don't feel like letting it rest until we have the whole story. Wildone

[Tinkerbell]

Good afternoon Wildone

As one door closes, another one opens as the saying goes. Now you have a possible identity but the detection goes on, to find out exactly what type of Caddis fly the eggs come from. There's so much to learn isn't there, and I find it great fun to do a bit of ferreting - and, of course, as I trawled through the books I became sidetracked by other things (starfish, jellyfish etc.). Surprising what you don't know!

Tinkerbell