What is producing this strange white clump in my lawn?

[Mynah]

Please help identify this strange, white clump in our lawn. Recently lots of them have arrived. They are covered in white, rice like lumps and inside the clump is black with a slimy interior. Actually, we live in the Languedoc, France but I imagine whatever this is will be around in Britain as well. It is the first time in over 20 years we have seen this.

[poschiavanus]

Welcome to WAB.

This is quite a common slime mould (an honorary fungus) called Mucilago crustacea. It's a bit past the time for them in the UK (usually early to mid-Autumn), but I imagine their season is a little later in Languedoc.

[fairplay]

I'm tempted to say it goes well with snails, but we cannot discuss 'edibility' (yuk) on WAB

Neil.

[vole-woman]

That is really cool!

[Mynah]

Thank you so much Poschiavanus, what a relief. I thought we were having another invasion of wild life here, it's been that kind of a year.

We've also had 'martens' or 'fouines' as they are called here attacking our car windscreenwipers and other plastic tubes. Trying to discourage them by putting mothballs all over the place and also catching one in a cage, with the help of an egg and transferring it a few miles. Sweet looking creatures, but trouble

[poschiavanus]

Hmm, I don't think moving Stone Martens (fouines) will help very much: they are pretty commensal creatures.

Friends of mine in Switzerland used to have them making a real racket on their balcony when they were mating, and I often used to see them in the middle of a built-up area when I was leaving the office late at night.

Their propensity for attacking the rubber bits & bobs of cars (coating of electrical and brake cables, windscreen wipers etc) has been going on for about 30 years, starting in Witnterthur, Switzerland in 1979. In Germany and Switzerland most car repair places will offer to fit Marderschutz (I think an electrical deterrent). Here are a couple of links, the first in English: Mardersicher, Marderabwehr.

HTH,

Posch

[Mynah]

Hi Posh, thanks for your comments. Don't quite get what you mean by commensal creatures?

Interestingly, it was indeed Swiss guests here who told us the many shallow holes dug all over our lawns were due to these creatures. They had the same in their mountain chalet in Switzerland. And that their windscreen wipers etc had been nibbled in Switzerland by the fouines. I joked that they had transported them here, to the Languedoc.

You are very very knowledgeable. Have a look at our locale, if you want at
holiday homes, vacation rentals Languedoc 13th cent windmills. Animal stories.

Here's the photo of our little fouine!

[url=http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/archive/showphoto.php?photo=182049]