Life in the Watershed

Freshwater mussels, sometimes referred to as clams, are an important part of our aquatic ecosystem. From the outside they can easily be mistaken for a rock on the bottom of the stream, sometimes partially covered in algae.   Inside the shell is where the magic happens—freshwater mussels are like miniature water filtration plants. They feed on the plankton they filter out of the water, but also filter things like bacteria and detritus, before returning clean water back to the stream. A mussel can filter up to…

As summer wanes into autumn and the cooler weather starts to roll in, what happens to the dragonflies that hatched out of our local waterways over the last few months? Well, the answer is a little bit different for each species. These insects (and many more) spend a portion of their lives in the water. Dragonflies are a good indicator of water quality as some species are more tolerant of pollution and others are very intolerant of pollution. Many aquatic…

Did You Know…Some Flying Insects Start Their Lives in Water? Many of the insects that live in our streams, lakes, ponds and wetlands are actually the immature stages of flying insects like dragonflies, damselflies, mayflies, midges and of course, mosquitos. These insects spend the first part of their life cycle in the water before becoming flying adults. The length of time this aquatic stage lasts is dependent on the insect. Some dragonflies take 4-5 years to complete this part of…

Although there are many factors impacting urban stream systems from pollution to stormwater runoff to structures in the floodplains, dams create a host of problems for stream systems everywhere. What Did the Fish Say When It Swam Into the Wall? First and foremost, dams fragment stream systems preventing fish from freely move upstream. Even a low-head dam can create a barrier to our midwestern fish, that unlike salmon are not built to jump any significant height. These barriers block access…