MATS OF WATER PLANTS

     By August, varying-sized, green mats of algae, duckweed and water stargrass float together on the surfaces of certain ponds and still backwaters of creeks in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Algae grows in long, matted strands, and duckweeds are tiny, flat plants that grow in colonies on water surfaces.  Stargrass colonies root in muddy bottoms.  Each plant's long leaves undulate in currents and the single yellow flower barely emerges from the water's surface to be pollinated. 

     Together, those mats of algae, duckweed, and stargrass in bloom, look like tiny islands in the water, and remind me of lawns with dandelion flowers flourishing in them.  And, those mats of small, aquatic plants create niches that several kinds of small creatures use for a variety of reasons.

     Certain kinds of attractive and entertaining damselflies and dragonflies rest on those mats, after aerial feeding forays on small, flying insects.  And some of them spawn their eggs into those protective mats of tiny, floating plants.  The young hatch and feed on tiny aquatic invertebrates in and under those mats.     

     Some fishing spiders stand on those vegetative rafts, with a couple of their legs in the water to feel for the vibrations of potential prey, including aquatic insects and small tadpoles.   

     Green frogs and bull frogs sprawl mostly submerged and camouflaged in those floating carpets.  These mostly-green amphibians are relatively safe from herons, raccoons, mink and other predators, as they watch for invertebrates they will snap up with their long tongues. 

     Small fish, tadpoles, and aquatic invertebrates, including snails and insect larvae, live in these buoyant, sheltering mats of vegetation.  There they hide from fish and other critters that eat them.

     Painted turtles, snapping turtles and northern water snakes sneak through these rafts of floating plants in search of insects, snails, tadpoles, fish and other creatures to ingest.  Each one of those predatory reptiles occasionally pokes its nose above the water surface to get a gulp of air.  

     Small painted turtles and water snakes lie half-submerged on these vegetative rafts to bask in warming sunlight.  But being beautifully camouflaged, they usually are tough to spot.

     Handsome mallard ducks, wood ducks, Canada geese and muskrats make paths through these mats of floating plants.  And all these interesting, aquatic creatures eat some of the algae, duckweed and stargrass in them.  

     Interestingly, striking American goldfinches and beautifully camouflaged song sparrows hop about on those floating rafts of aquatic vegetation that happen to be anchored close to shore.  The goldfinches are there to consume strands of algae while the song sparrows search for invertebrates to ingest.

     Floating rafts of algae, duckweed and water stargrass form unique niches that certain species of life benefit from, each kind in its own way.  Practically every niche on Earth, natural or human-made, has at least one kind of life living in it.      

             

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DADDY-LONG-LEGS

     During summer, over the years in southeastern Pennsylvania, I've seen many daddy-long-legs on the bark of tree trunks on lawns, and in parks and woods.  They blend into the color of tree bark well and are difficult to see.  Many people never see them at all until those camouflaged little critters are pointed out by people in the know about them.        Daddy-long-legs have eight, really long, thin legs, but they are not spiders.  But they are arachnids, and related to spiders.  These attractive, little creatures, called daddy-long-legs because of their long legs, have quarter-inch, compact bodies raised on stilt-like legs.  They have two dark eyes and feel the vibrations of birds and other predators with their legs.  But these arachnids have no venom, or silk to make webs.        Daddy-long-legs, like all other living beings, are part of several food chains.  They consume tiny invert...
Read more

MY FAVORITE DRAGONFLIES

     Visibly active during summer months, white-tailed and twelve-spotted skimmers are common, related species of dragonflies living in southeastern Pennsylvania, and much of the United States.  These kinds of dragonflies have characteristics in common, which demonstrates their shared ancestry.  And they are my favorite dragonflies.   They are large enough to be easily seen in rapid flight, have attractive color patterns and are excitedly fast when sweeping low over cattail-bordered ponds, grass-lined, slow-moving creeks and bordering farmland after flying insects, including lots of mosquitoes, which they catch and eat.  And, interestingly, they hover like helicopters.  Dragonflies are thrilling, entertaining and inspiring to watch, without fear of being stung or bitten by them.  Their beauties and dashing flamboyance help make summer waters come to life.      Both these kinds of skimmers are two inches long and have three...
Read more

SPRING ON THE UPPER CHESAPEAKE

      I visited the Upper Chesapeake Bay at the Community Park of Northeast, Maryland one afternoon about the middle of March a few years ago, as I had several times in different seasons before that day.  This time, I went there to spot migrating water birds of various kinds.        Because of their high numbers, gulls and ducks were the dominant birds on the ice, and strips of open water among the slabs of ice because of the warming weather in March.  Most of the handsome ring-billed, herring and great black-backed gulls stood picturesquely on slabs of ice.        The attractive, adult ring-billed and herring gulls are mostly gray on top, white below, and look much alike, except the herrings are larger and have a red mark on their beaks, whereas each ring-bill has a black "ring" around its bill.  Largest of these gulls, the stately, mature black-backs have black backs and upper wings and are white below, ma...
Read more