Bryozoan

I brushed up against one of these on the water whilst swimming, and although I knew what it was, I still shrieked! It's a colony of invertebrate animals, Pectinatella magnifica, living together in freshwater. They're filter feeders that consume suspended materials in the water, so they help maintain good water clarity.

Jiggly, jelly-like

A colony of zooids

One bryozoan

I know that bryozoans are not very appealing to many, but if you look at them closely, and in the right light, there's a lot of beauty tucked in there.

Up close, the textured surface is quite magnificent. I've just read that those rosette-like features are actually groups of 12-18 individual zooids. See freshwater-bryozoan (https://wmap.blogs.delaware.gov/2018/12/01/delawares-most-famous-freshwater-bryozoan/).

I think these little groups look like colorful stars in a tightly packed galaxy!

I picked this particular blob up because one side seemed to be smooth, and I could see the plant stem to which it had become attached. It intrigued me enough to overcome my hesitation, but I did have to wash slime off my hands afterwards.

It also seemed like it might break apart if I didn't support it fully and firmly. It was dense, heavy, globular and jelly-like.

Bulbous and slimy,

Jelly-like Bryozoans -

Colonies of life.

I was fortunate in finding this specimen, which shows the colonization onto a stick in a thin layer.