What is this, and What did it?

I looked in my front yard this morning and there were probably 30 or 40 small mounds of dirt, mixed with twigs, slivers of grass and small stones.
First, I brush the small mound away looking for hole or tunnel. No hole, no tunnel. Whatever did this did it on top of the soil, and picked a non grassy area, just dirt. This unsub also did it practically overnight. 30 or 40. It is not a mole hole or tunnel, I could show you some of those too. Someone suggested a bird, same kind of nesting, but why every few inches or feet on the ground right in front of the front door, next to the driveway. It was not a cat covering up after himself. Looked through several, nothing stinky there. Not like an ant farm and not one ant anywhere. If someone recognizes these tiny little mounds, please let me know. The wind did not blow these like this, something made them for a reason and I would like to know what it is so I can figure out what to do with them.
Thanks
Vicki

Is the ground fairly compacted otherwise, or is it loose and soft? do you leave footprints?

Hi Susy,
Yes, the ground is pretty firm, no real loose soil. I don't leave footprints except when it's mud.Maybe the rain has softened it some, but, nothing has been planted there for at least a few years. The ground hasn't been work much. I dug up that whole area over the Spring and Summer and removed truck loads of river rock that someone had just covered with soil. There was so much I couldn't plant so I removed the rock spread some manure and bark dust stuff on it. Now I am afraid it is a nursery. Do you know? Why there?
Thanks for the site info
Vicki

Is there any chance that these are the residue of water run-off? Where's sofer, he'll have an idea.

I have seen that sorta thing happen after I had my driveway leveled its a dirt drive and sloped, when it would rain hard it would make little islands of light stuff the water could carry around then leave it . How has the rain been?

On the other hand, maybe there is a new kind of super-tiny alien that is urban. Instead of crop circles, they do tiny little dirt piles that can only be identified and interpreted from above.

rofl

Crabs! A new addition from Japan to Seattle. The crab grabs all around itself and filters food material (bacteria, fungus) off the material growing it and then move to the next location. There has been a new one introduced to Seattle. Look at the "Planet Earth" and see the beaches where thousands of piles of sand are put on the beach between each tidal flow.

This message was edited Jan 14, 2008 10:41 PM

Ah, so they would have been introduced to Vicki's yard by our recent tornado?

No they are everywhere down there. Oregon has quite a problem developing with "Green Crab" Look here. http://www.tidepool.org/derek/greencrab.html She defiantly lives near the river.

This message was edited Jan 14, 2008 10:54 PM

Sofer, wow.
I'm sorry, I thought you were playing around with my goofiness about aliens and suggesting something else off the wall. How far from water can they survive-or is that one more unknown?


(Terrific, just what we need, a new invasive species. )

The article says that if competition is severe they migrate into estuaries and feed on grasses. They are not inter tidal and can survive "almost everywhere". I have never seen them but the piles are crabs or some other large critter that feeds on material growing on fomites (stones, sticks, or any surface material). At least there is hope that they may eat slugs so BIGGGGGGGG ADVANTAGE!

Hmm, that doesn't sound good.

(Why am I envisioning that horrible old animated show "Celebrity Death Match" with the little clay sculpture celebrity caricatures who would fight to the death in the boxing ring, but with a crab and a slug? )

I feel little sympathy with either. As a veterinarian I don't have to warm up to either. As a gardener I would love the elimination of all slugs. That is why I moved to Montana. No fear here. Oh yes and I have chickens. DEATH TO THE SLIMY ONES!

"Can survive almost everywhere" is what didn't sound good. :)

I'd still like to see the death match battle...

Have you seen the "Planet Earth" on tidal life. It has a fast forward of the crabs piling up about a million piles of sand balls on a beach in France. They emerge out of the sand and feast on nothing visible and go back under before the tide comes in. Quite fascinating. Vicki if you read this tomorrow look closely at the area around the piles and see if any crab clawing and walk marks are visible. Also I would like to know how far you are from an estuary. Steve

I think I missed that one, but I loved the series. I'll look for it to be repeated. I haven't bought the DVD yet.

sofer, you are a mine of information. And hurrah, at least this one is not YET on our shores - or at least no one is talking about it yet.

Come on Vicki are you near any water connected to the Columbia? I need to know and maybe you should report it to DNR. Steve

I heard from Vicky by dmail-she asked me to post this until she gets another chance to check in.

Hi Guys,
Sorry, didn't know I'd be missed. I'm not on near as often in the winter as I am in the gardening season. My little mounds have blown around a little, and whatever was tending to them seems to have stopped. Maybe they took my amazement and interest as interference. 1 seems to have been built up a tiny bit more. I thought of trying to find some shiny fabric or misc things lying around to see if (if they are birds) they would use them. I'll check in more often. Take care, and let Soferdig know he can email me directly.

No I am quite interested in confirming the source of piles. I love the "perry mason" (that dates me) "who done it" stuff.
I am done with work now so I am going to look up the bird type that does these. I have to go back and check my dmail to see their names. "bower birds"

This message was edited Jan 18, 2008 6:34 PM

I am thinking of " A Mystery Movie" ' The Crabs Have Landed'

just a joke

I remember a time a woman brought her dog in for scratching. When I put the little crab like lice on the microscope I knew the source. So I had to gently describe that this is human origion only and the dog got it from someone he slept with. A great streak of anger flashed over her face and she was scratching at the recption desk while paying her bill. That was a tough day.

omg, that's awful (and funny...) How often do the dogs get to say they got infected by bugs from their people, after all....??

Well dogs always take blame for their owners indiscretion. I think we all know what usually is blamed. LOL
Like this Geeeeeee Mackenzie that stinks!

doggie reverie! hmmmhmmmmm.

lol!

OOOO MY
What did I start

I would not have liked to have been in your shoes that day.

Can you just see the judge and jury pointing a finger at her, while doggie is in the witness stand holding paw out and pointing to her.

When does the movie come out?

If it isn't crabs, could it possibly be night crawlers? Not that they grab things and pile them up, but don't they leave little mounds when they push up through the soil? I really, really hope it isn't those nasty crabs.

I have the big nite crawlers here and I have never seen them do that.

Oh well, LOL, it was worth a try!

My thoughts ------ small ice crystals doing frost heave - the water in the soil freezes, pushes upward, taking debris with it, and then the crystals melt - leaving an assortment of debris.

I have seen some awesome ones along the roadside - and this is what brings the rocks up from below the surface. I had a friend who picked up all the rocks - only to have more show up after the winter freezes (here in western WA).

Frost heaves is a possibility and worms but I would think the spacing would have to be closer for such an event to occur. I spent my childhood working on farms picking rocks and each year there were more. Yes you betcha the rocks are heaved up often. It isn't the "bower birds" because they are only in New Zealand and Australia.

Soferdig
did you see this
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/806093/

No I did not. Now it looks like a worm pile. Why would they be concentrated. Worms are not community based. This is weird.

Soferdig:
Trying to DMail you I have a Q,
I am having problems with D-Mail to you

I am moving around the world checking in at other computers so maybe they are collecting my dmail. I doubt it. I have it follow me usually where ever I go. I'll try you.

That's great. "I'm moving around the world checking in at other computers." Steve, must be having good fun!!

Well I am having fun but yet I am still working. I enjoy work so much I was scheduled off today to enjoy Juneau and I went to work anyway to take off the load that was there. I am sick. One thing I need to do is log out when I leave so nobody assumes the role as soferdig.

So if we get any "out-of-character" messages from "you", we have been forewarned. LOL

So may I ask what it is you're unloading in Juneau? How often do you go up to Alaska. I was born and raised in Fairbanks and still have lots of friends in Fairbanks and Anchorage.