Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Identifying plants Labor day weekend homework!

Anyone want to tell me what these little gems are?

Were they in a vodka martini?

I'm guessing it's a blue ink pen. But I relate to Theo's ?.

I agree with Theo.................and the martini looks dirty.

They remind me of grapes, fleshy, about 1/4" thick skin and filled with water

I'm not real familiar with freshwater jelly's, could that be it?

Thanks for posting the pictures. I had the same thing in shallow water and posted about it a few weeks ago. Didn't really get an answer that solved the mystery.

They are like jelly beans without the hard covering.

Maybe it's a Michigan thing. I thought only I was being invaded by pods.

Chuck

good to see someone else has seen them, I thought I was crazy! Hopefully someone who knows somethin about em is on here... I've seen them in 3 or 4 ponds in my area... Can anyone help???

UPDATE

Finally I got ahold of an old college prof... Nostoc is the name they came up with. Colonial cyanobacteria that create filaments to stick together in grape-like balls. Often they can be found on the stalks of submersed plants, looking like a growth of the plant and not a separate colony. They thrive in the nutrient-rich warm water of late summer, sometimes even known to grow in mud puddles and wet lawns!

So theres the answer to the mystery, hope someone learns somethin!

thats cool justin, thanks for the update. i was thinking some form of bryozoan, but didnt really have a clue.

That was my thought too, but I couldnt find any buccal openings, thats what sent me down the plant path... I also found that people in the far east stir fry them for a delicacy! I think I'll pass

Justin - Thanks for the follow up. Always interested in learning what is going on in my ponds.

Chuck

That was intresting!