A Biodiversity Information System for Cheshire, Halton, Warrington & Wirral

Hello All, we have had this picture passed in to us of what is potentially a fungus. It came from Denbigh moors, I think.

Is there anyone out there who could help with a positive id??

Many thanks,

Eric (Record)

I have news, seeing as a lot of people have viewed this post, but no one seems to be able to shed light on this issue I thought you might be interested to know that this is something that is perplexing folks from all over the country.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/outdoors/articles/jelly/

A few suggestions are:

Star snot/jelly
Deer semen
Regurgitation of unused frog spawn by predators

I have been brought a sample and there is no smell at all and it is very gelatinous unlike the slime moulds I have come across before.

Cheers,

Eric

I'd vote for the frog spawn option except you can usually see the black dots. Try putting a bit in water and see if it swells up. This is why predators leave the spawn behind when they eat a pregnant frog - they don't want it swelling up inside them.

John Bratton

Hello John, thanks for this. I would have expected a smell if it were frog spawn. Especially so if it had been regurgitated, but there is none.

There is no evidence of black dots at all. Just the translucent jelly.

The gentleman who brought it in doubted that it could be from spawn as there would have to have been wholesale frog carnage due to the quantity of this stuff about.

He also mentioned that he originally saw it in the autumn, which would, in theory, rule out spawn?

Cheers,

Eric