One for You natural historians...

It sounds very like Austrian Caviar !

Fritz Von Now there's luvvly avenue

Sounds very strange.

Down in Oxted we have newts again in our pond and also frog-spawn. (I think newt-spawn is laid in water though).

Apparently there are a load of slow worms this year and we also get grass snakes. However, your 'caviar' sounds amphibious, rather than reptilian, but for the fact that it's away from water. Very strange. Some new mutation perhaps?

Please keep a watch and report back. I'd be very interested to hear what it turns out to be.

Regards
Steve M

Insects innit.

Get your sonic screwdriver out. Can only be alien.

Piccies of Alien Spawn (battery for Scale):





The mucilage is really strong -- it's taking rocks and pebbles with it...

How does it taste?

Tim J

Mountain Oyster pearls ?


Fritz Von Probably good with baked Camenbert

I agree with Berlin Fritz. It's almost certainly insectoid.

Regards
Steve M

Tim,
It may just be frog spawn,it certainly looks that way. When frog or toad spawn is first laid, before coming into contact with water the "jelly" protective covering has not expanded,it is only after coming into contact with water that it takes on the more familer form,it may well be you just have a example of a frog caught short.You could try immersing a few of the eggs in water for a while to see if they expand,the only other thing that springs to mind as a posibility, bearing in mind the location where they were found, it could be either Snail or slug eggs[ but usually they are buried below ground level]If it's nether of these two alternatives keep clear when the hatch

oldie.

They could be Austrian Dragons eggs?



Fritz Von Royal Jelly & the prince of ales

I'd keep that battery away... You never know!
David

Thanks, Oldie --

I thought maybe toad spawn, because of the drier environment, but toads lay strings of spawn, and the eggs are smaller. Just don't know where the frog comes in...

But just to keep the conspiracy theories alive, we found this Blair-Witch-style arrangement on our gatepost this morning. It wasn't there yesterday.

[IMG] [/IMG]

Something in the back of my mind tells me that this is/was how "Gentlemen of the Road" communicate with each other, either food/money available here, or something.

Which is odd, because they'll get no sympathy from me. No. No, no. No bloody fear. I believe in a fair day's work for a fair day's pay... (Cont. p. 94)

Slugs or snails eggs?

Celtic Pooh Sticks innit.

Aliens.

Think I will bypass Wales for the meantime.

I think Nime is close. I'd guess snails.

If you're a vegetable gardener you'll know what to do with them.

Nime, Stephen --

They would have to be bloody big snails...there's about two dessertspoons of the stuff.

Another casualty of Global warming!

"Desperate toad fails to find water when it really mattered!"

Frog spawn is a mass. Toad spawn is in long strings.

I'm treading water here!

Quote from here.

SPAWN OUT OF THE POND
"Yesterday my Mum and I were tidying up the garden when my Mum found some frogspawn amongst a pile of leaves in the border. We scooped them into a bucket of water. Did we do the right thing?" Nathan Age 6 .

When a female frog migrates to the spawning pond she can sometimes be frightened or disturbed. This can cause her to lay a bit of spawn on the ground. Often this has not been fertilized by a male frog so it is unlikely to grow into tadpoles. ...... but you never know! - Julia

Rick had another suggestion - The spawn would not have survived anyway, laid outside water - frogs only do this if they're attacked or injured. Are you sure it was frogspawn - it sounds more like slug eggs to me, being in leaves."

I vote you incubate them properly (i.e. leave them where they are) and see what they hatch into.
'Course it's not my lawn...
David

Seconded.

However, just in case they're slugs I'd place a ring of garlic around the outside (fry garlic in oil and paint a ring).

Seriously, the nervous systems of slugs and snails cannot survive garlic. Strange but true.

Regards
Steve M

quote:

Originally posted by 7V:

Seriously, the nervous systems of slugs and snails cannot survive garlic. Strange but true.

They can't survive beer either.
This may also be true of some humans.

quote:

Originally posted by Nime:

Snails love beer. They will be attracted to a glass in the garden but will too easily get out of their heads and drown in it.

In moderation, beer can contribute to a healthy and happy snail life. Sadly these days, however, too many snails live in a 'binge drinking' culture.

Garlic will kill them dead.

Regards
Steve M

quote:

Garlic will kill them dead

Are you sure that isn't for Vampires?


Tim why not send a picture to Natural History Museum or(Bill Odie).

Howard

quote:

Originally posted by BigH47:
Are you sure that isn't for Vampires?

Hmmm, maybe I was referring to Vampire Snails.

Dangerous though they undoubtably are, the chances of one catching you are miniscule.

Regards
Steve M