many of them in the grass, flying up en-masse when disturbed by people passing by
What kind of plaque is that?
Sponge, alga, bacteria ... ?
To the left: Clathria jolicoeuri
What kind of sponge creates offshoots (upper left corner, see especially pic#3)? I observed two lookalike specimen that were growing long, thin offshoots. Unfortunately I did not spot this immediately, but on screen at home, so I did not check where the offshoot was leading to.
Compare: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/148437533
Update 03/10/23
I was planning on taking this one into captivity, but for some reason the specimen disappeared.
All observations containing this specimen:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/150528556
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/148154692
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/150017734
Hostplant: Phyllanthus tenellus
If the specimen goes dormant, I'll take it into captivity.
Feeding on Phyllanthus tenellus.
Still alive, moving, biting... Despite it having lost the greater part of its body.