Mapping and Charismatic Species

An interesting aspect of my site that I did not notice until this latest visit was some sort of oil/ nutrient buildup upstream from my main rock. Two trees fell into the river and created a slight pool with leaves and stick buildup and towards the top of this pool was this bubbly grey/ brown film. I could not find any point source for the spill but managed to get some good pictures. It could be oil, or surfactants from the decaying twigs and leaves concentrated in this spot, or some type of nutrient buildup. I will keep an eye on this section of the river to see how long this remains.

A cool insect

There was not a lot of animal activity in my location when I went to visit. I sat on my rock for almost 20 minutes and I saw one squirrel and a handful of insects. The waterbug that I managed to get a picture of was one of the only ones out there. The water strider is in the Gerridae family of insects in the order Hemiptera. They are cool because their legs have tiny hairs that repel water and capture air. By repelling water, the tiny water striders stand on the water’s surface and the captured airs allow them to float and move easily. They have been present every time I visit my spot and are an essential part of the stream ecosystem. They eat small insects that fall into the water and are eaten by birds, fish, and other aquatic insects.

The Gerridae are a family of insects in the order Hemiptera, commonly known as water striders
Coccinellidae is a widespread family of small beetles ranging in size from 0.8 to 18 mm. The family is commonly known as ladybugs
The Norwegian Maple; an invasive species

As one walks from the top of the hill in the clearing down to the river the low lying vegetation changes. At the top of the hill, there are fallen trees, leaves and eastern hay-scented ferns, known as Dryopteris carthusiana. The predominant change along the river bank is the gradual transition from the eastern hay-scented ferns to the Rock polypody, or sensitive, fern. I have a picture but was unable to fully identify and name the second type. In terms of the larger plant life, the Norwegian Maple was one of the few hardwood trees that still had leaves.

Just a rock but I looked like there was an imprint of a frog!

The mapping of my spot did not go great. It was difficult to keep the path to scale and I did not exactly know the course of the river. As I walked down I diligently noted the direction of everything so the compass is accurate. It also made me realize how close to the road my spot is. When I walk by myself it feels like I go far in but in reality I am Juston the outskirts of Centennial Woods.