Waking up to find a strange tower of mud balls in the middle of your lawn — about four inches tall, with a hole in the center — can be surprising. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or simply love spending time outdoors, unusual formations like this can leave you wondering what animal or natural process created it.
A structure of mud balls stacked into a small tower isn’t random. It’s typically the result of insects or other small animals behaving in ways you might not often see. By understanding animal behavior and soil activity, you can learn what likely made it, whether it’s harmless, and what it means for your yard.
This guide explains the most common possibilities, how to identify them, and whether you need to take action.
Most Likely Explanations: What Created the Mud Towers
1. Ant Hills / Fire Ant Activity
In some regions, ants — especially certain species like fire ants — create small piles of soil and mud as they build and expand nests underground. Worker ants excavate tunnels and bring soil particles above the surface, forming tiny pellets that can accumulate into a mound or tower.
Key features of ant-related soil heaps:
Small soil pellets stacked or clustered
A central hole (the entrance to the nest)
Often found in lawns, pastures, or garden areas
Soil may appear damp if ants mixed it with moisture while excavating
Fire ants and other mound-building ants are especially known for pushing soil out of underground chambers and tunnels.
2. Mud Dauber Wasp Nesting Behavior
Mud daubers are solitary wasps that build nests from mud. Unlike social wasps that create paper nests, mud daubers form tube-like or cylindrical mud structures. These can sometimes appear as stacks or towers of mud.
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