These living mandalas are green algae named Gonium. Gonium algae can be found around the globe in freshwaters like ponds, rivers, soils, paddy fields and rainwater pools and they love water sources that are rich in nutrients. Gonium colonies are usually composed or 4, 8, 16 or 32 cells and are flattened. Each individual algae forming these colonies are enclosed in a gelatinous sheath that are all linked together to form one colony!