star jelly - pwdre ser

[nematode]

I posted this over in the fungi forum as it is where I found a reference to 'star jelly'. However, I re-posted it here as I believe it is more relevant here.

Original post: The Jelly mystery

Originally Posted by nematode

Star Jelly (or pwdre ser). I have seen this jelly a few times many years ago and wondered at the time what it was. I wondered so much that I looked into it and found the information about frogs, as stated in this forum. However, there has always been doubt and no hard evidence about the frog theory. So, I have always kept an eye out for it. A few times friends have mentioned that they seen it and also wondered. Only a few weeks ago, in the Lake District, a colleague saw it and mentioned it to everyone and was curious about its origins.

At the weekend I was wandering about in the Antrim Hills and found some. When I found it I was delighted (strange, I know).



But then one of my friends exclaimed, “and look , a dead frog!”. And not even 1 meter away was a frog, bloated and sad.



A dead frog is not a frequent sight at the best of times, but so close to the dirt of a star, it cannot be ignored. I have been pondering this and have some questions. Why do most reports of pwdre ser see only the jelly and no frog or frog parts? Why are all the examples mostly clear apart from a few that I have heard of being slightly red in colour (tinged with blood)? As I understand it (I could be wrong) birds like herons and ravens swallow their food whole and without chewing. Is it possible that a live frog empties itself (pee, poo, and egg packing material) inside the predator and causes the predator to vomit the frog and material? At this stage it is probably likely that the predator would then re-swallow the frog leaving no trace but the jelly unless it was spooked or disturbed after it had vomited.

[valleyforge]

Hi nematode and welcome to the WaB forum.

I have encountered this material on a number or occasions, and at different times of the year ... in each case close examination has revealed the body parts of common frogs lying amongst, adjacent to, or very nearby, the jelly masses.

Sometimes, in addition to the jelly, only frog skin remains ... no skeletal parts ... although on occasions the hind legs & feet remain attached too, greatly aiding the identification of the remains.

This wasn't frog spawn ... there hasn't ever been evidence of eggs within the jelly, or even a suggestion that the jelly has been systematically picked through to remove the eggs ... often the jelly masses have been found too late in the year for spawn to even be considered a possibility in any case.

However, I am sufficiently convinced by the available evidence to say that at least in SOME circumstances, the appearance of such jelly masses is closely linked to the violent death and dismemberment of a frog.

The exposed masses of jelly are often much greater in volume than you could easily pack inside the frog, having judged their relative size in life from the body parts ... so I conclude then perhaps that the material is greatly hydrophilic, swelling due to absorbed moisture from the ground or air after it has exuded from the body of the frog. I imagine however that a similar process occurs when eggs are layed and spawn jelly is produced around them, in contact with water.

I have discovered gelatinous masses that I believe to be some form of fungi ... that's not an area where I have much expertise though ... but that looks and feels quite distinct from these occurrances ... and besides, I wouldn't expect to find gelatinous fungi appearing overnight in the centre of a tarred road, where I have come across the jelly and frog remains.

[fairplay]

So would you agree this is not Nostoc (pwdre see, star jelly, etc.)

Neil.

[valleyforge]

Originally Posted by fairplay

So would you agree this is not Nostoc (pwdre see, star jelly, etc.)

Based on the photos of the jelly, and the evidence of the frog corpse, I would say that this tallies closely with what I have observed in the field and so is most likely NOT Nostoc, unless it occurs symbiotically within the dermal layer of frogs ... nor do I think it's any other fungus/algae.

Incidentally, I don't hold with the extraterrestrial origin theories either I'm afraid.

[fairplay]

Brilliant, now hopefully we can do away with these silly names of 'Star Jelly' and 'Pwdre see' which mean absolutely nothing and just makes science confusing.

Neil.

[nematode]

I guess it does seem to make sense that the 'pwdre ser' of long ago was Nostoc. Nostoc does seem more 'rot' like than the frog jelly. But frog jelly does not sound as nice.

[valleyforge]

Originally Posted by nematode

But frog jelly does not sound as nice.

How about 'puddock jeely' then?

[nematode]

What about 'Glothach fhroig'? Awwww, too late. I was too slow.

'puddock jeely' it is then

[fairplay]

Now you're making me feel like that Army Captain from the Monty Python series where it becomes chaotic and the Army chap suddenly appears with his baton saying "Now stop that, stop that, this sketch is getting silly"

Surely this jelly substance from the frogs has been observed many times before and must have a scientific name by now ?

By all means invent a new (Scottish) common name for it, but before you do, please lets have a scientific name.

And Nematode, have you spotted that some chap apparently connected with 'National Geographic' magazine in the USofA has cottoned on to your post where you left off in the fungus forum ?

Neil.

[nematode]

Thanks Fairplay, I got in touch with the contact and gave him my pictures. I too was a little concerned that science might not be used to explain the frog jelly, other jellies and pwdre ser. However, the blurb kept me happy:

Un-Natural is a 3-part mini-series that dives into the most frightening supernatural mysteries from around the world. But these stories are not the nth rendition of Big Foot or Nessie. Every episode reveals that local superstitions are actually rooted in bizarre but entirely natural phenomena.

But on a different note.

***steps back slowly***

What about 'puddocka jeelyia'?

***runs away***