GeoGraph - photograph every grid square

"Mystery Jelly" with clustered black objects

The nature of a mysterious jelly found outdoors has caused much debate: Link

It is often found simply as a clear gel; see NS3678 : A moss (Grimmia pulvinata), with "mystery jelly". In other cases, clusters of small round black objects are found associated with it, as illustrated here. Pinkish smears of blood and remnants of blood vessels on the surface provide compelling evidence of an animal origin.

It was lying on a footpath, next to a puddle, in (as usual) a place where frogs can be found. Many have suggested that this material is from frogs taken by predators, and this seems to be the correct explanation; compare the fifth photo on a page at the Hainault Forest Website: Link (my own photo therefore seems to show one of the convoluted end-parts of the oviducts).

The appearance of this substance changes over time: it absorbs water, becoming more transparent, and swelling a great deal. It also ends up broken into scattered blobs, as illustrated at NT3707 : Pwdre ser - a slime mould? (note the black eggs there, too); the "clear gel" image (see link in second paragraph, above) is a still later stage, where all the eggs have been eaten (this is possibly what breaks up the gel into scattered pieces).

(Other natural jelly-like substances are sometimes encountered outdoors; see Link for a partial list.)