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Ok so today I was loosening up dirt with my pickaxe when I noticed tons of little orange, what looked to be; seedlings of some sort. They are orange and small and are in clumps together and I have a picture -

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The image is a bit blurry so I took another one that is not much better.

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If anyone could identify these for me that would be great!

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  • I am not able to see the orange seeds. Can you annotate these pictures?
    – JStorage
    Commented May 12, 2017 at 17:20
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    Look kind of like ant eggs. Commented May 12, 2017 at 17:50

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colorado potato beetle eggsWhat I am seeing looks like Colorado Potato Beetle eggs. Have you ever planted potatoes in this soil? Oblong yellow orange eggs. No big deal unless you want to plant potatoes...if you have already planted and harvested potatoes that would be a good indication of this beetle's eggs. Also a good reason to not plant potatoes in the same plot for at least 2 years. Crop rotation makes incredible sense.C. potato beetle eggs

There are other eggs that are similar so this ID is not solid. Also, this beetle prefers to lay their eggs under the leaves of the potato plant not the soil. But if one harvests their potatoes and turns the material back into the soil you will find clumps of these eggs.

Just one idea until you are able to provide more information. Let us know. If this is a correct ID just do not plant potatoes in this soil. That is the main answer. If this is correct. Definitely looks like eggs of some sort but there aren't that many that look like this.

mommy colorado potato beetle

Just for your information, Lady beetle eggs are very similar. What is missing besides your information on what you've grown in this soil is the SCALE or size of these eggs. Please add a nickle or dime or whatever when you take your next pictures.

The size of a quarter makes this clump less likely to be insect eggs. Really need a clearer picture, close up. Is that possible? Look at these birch seeds which is my next idea but these would be too big.Birch seed

My potato starts come from Colorado...right next door. If this clump is almost as large as a quarter...gotta keep looking! Check out the trees, shrubs that grow in the area. We'll be back.

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  • that bunch of seeds is a little bigger than a quarter and we have not planted any potatoes. And the location is utah. Thanks for the help!
    – Sanskros
    Commented May 15, 2017 at 16:36
  • Seeds? What makes you think they are seeds? What was in this soil last year? Have you always lived here? That scale really helps! What trees are near this area?
    – stormy
    Commented May 15, 2017 at 20:58
  • last year we had a pond in a barrel sitting there so no plant life
    – Sanskros
    Commented May 15, 2017 at 23:14
  • hummmm. But sure a great place for some insect or organism to hang out. Have you tried cutting these things in two? Thanks for the extra info! We'll keep working on this...
    – stormy
    Commented May 16, 2017 at 5:04
  • no Im gonna go look at them right now
    – Sanskros
    Commented May 16, 2017 at 16:15

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