I found something weird in my water barrel and I dont know what it is.?

Question

I found something in my 30 gallon water barrel. It was made up of small branches, rocks, and the like surrounded by a gelatin membrane. It was about 3 or 4 inches across and was anchored to the side with small off-white strings resembled strands from spider webs, except they were about 3/8 of an inch around. The strings were covered with small white egg-like things that were about the size of a gnats. When I tried to pull the mass in the center from the water barrel it broke apart and more egg things fell out. I dumped out the water barrel, because I thought it might be some kind of egg, but when it got dumped on the ground all the strings and the gelatin around the center mass just sunk through the ground with the water or evaporated. Does anybody know what this thing was?

Answer 1

Might be salamander eggs. Could be frog eggs.  What kind of wildlife do you have nearby?

Found it. The Gypsy moth.

http://www.gypsymoth.ento.vt.edu/insect_...

Answer 2

biofilm?

hey turings, nice one! i thought of caddis fly, but i got mixed up, i thought they have hard shell made of bits, but of course that's the nymphs not the egg masses.

Answer 3

Tree frog eggs are similar to what you have discribed. Some tree frogs lay eggs in masses and cover these masses with debris to hide them. they are very oportunistic in the places were they lay them. I have found tree frog eggs in my dogs water bowl. They are strange looking saks.

Answer 4

I heard that mosquito's breed and lay eggs in areas where threes large amount of water, maybe that's what it was. i hope this helps you.

Answer 5

Tree frog eggs.........................