That there my friends, is a ball of mud. Japanese children have been making these things for hundreds of years. They are called Dorodango. However, the practice of the artform was in a decline in the previous decade or so, then there was a resurgence of the practice during the last few years. Why? I guess people enjoy the challenge of polishing balls of mud. I think it is pretty fascinating.
A few more pics:
Created from a dark green deposit in the Manzano Mountains.
This guy took the art to a whole new level:
Who would have thought you could make a ball of mud look so good?