Is this poop or animals making mud balls?

On my patio, in my garden, that’s screened in, I have this little round like balls. I have five piles located in different parts of the garden.

Could anyone please tell me what this is?

Thank you,
Scotty


or Mud Balls? ( photo / image / picture from Scotty13's Garden )

 

Is it around a wet area? Could be crayfish digging mud balls out.

 

Wet area, not really. Never seen a crayfish in my gardens (S. Florida).

 

http://peggy-w.hubpages.com/hub/Live-Cr ... ide4814473

Go look at the grassy pic half way down the page.

 

These mud balls are in a pile. Doesn’t appear to have home to any creature. I do live on a canal with several gardens in the backyard and these piles are only located in my screened in patio.

 

http://www.weedimages.org/browse/detail ... um=5410627

Try moving some rocks and looking for a hole. Dig a little into the middle of the pile.

 

This is interesting!!!

 

I'm going to second crayfish, in a southern garden near a canal.

 

KK, I agree, this is interesting!

 

I did dig under the piles and I discovered in one pile… One very thin (almost like a thread) worm that was red in color.

I believe its dirt and not poop.

 

FWIW in the united states there is a fresh-water lobster. it is about 1/8th the size of its salt-water bretheren.

It does tunnel in banks near to water in hot months in the south.

Some folks do catch (and pond breed) and eat crayfish.

I suppose it could be some other critter, but your discard pile sure looks like crayfish diggs.

 

It does resemble something done by a living thing, and not just dirt. It's been digested and spit or passed out. I agree with those who think it's from an animal of some kind. Did you ever find the culprit, being that it is now October?

 

The first photo is of a "night crawler" hole. The blue arrows are pointing to maple seeds with the wings chewed off by the worm. You can see some of the worm casing in little balls.

41 by tsebmj, on Flickr

The second photo is a close up of another hole with the balls better defined.

31 by tsebmj, on Flickr

 

Either is possible but crayfish usually make a good size hill of the balls. Nightcrawlers like that moist soil as well and can get up to 6 inches long. they stay just below the ground surface usually. If you take a wood pole of some kind and pound the earth close to the piles you can usually see them surface all around the area. Or even just scratch across it will work. They are sensitive to any ground vibration.