The Ohio Nature Blog

Let's Go Explore the Atlantic Ocean

2009-07-16T20:57:00.003-04:00

Twenty miles out to sea from Portland and Casco Bay, you'll never know what you might find. Here is a little preview. More to come this weekend. Be sure to click on this image, I uploaded it at full resolution.

"Ferny" North Woods

2009-07-15T12:57:00.006-04:00

Although I typically have showed many more photos of the water and bog at little pond, the piney woods are just as interesting. During our last trip, I noted just how alive the Maine woods really is. It seems as if things grow everywhere, and on top of everything. Here we have two large trees growing on a completely moss covered rock. On top of that, you'll see a baby balsam fir, and then there are the the delicate ferns, which abound in the shady, damp understory.

On a side note- Megan and I are both sick. We seemed to have caught a stomach bug or got food poisoning. It was a rough night tonight. No work today for me, I'm running a fever of 100.7, but at least my stomach has calmed down a little bit.

Tom

Little Pond Blue

2009-07-14T19:25:00.002-04:00

A quick image from our trip, please click on it to view it at its optimal resolution.

Happy mid-week. My timing is all messed up, that's what happens when you go on vacation from Tuesday-Tuesday, but boy, it really is a great day to fly. Cheap tickets, mostly business travelers, and light passenger loads. Have a great rest of the week.

Tom

Vacationland

2009-07-13T16:08:00.003-04:00

Sometimes, everybody needs a little break, and although I was expecting to get in a few more posts from our time here in Maine, I've taken the advantage of fantastic weather and absolute free time to simply relax. A mid-summer vacation that both Megan and I needed so much- a break from our busy, hectic lives. And the free babysitting (thanks Kate) makes it all pretty darn convenient. We're spending an entire week in Maine, and we're not here for a special event like a wedding, so we've just been sitting back and enjoying life. I haven't watched television for a week, and my internet usage has been sparse. The respite from the blogosphere has been somewhat refreshing, but I'll be right back in the thick of things when we hit the pavement in Ohio.

A few observations on our time here:

After almost a full month of rain every day in "Vacationland", the moniker plastered on every Mainer's license plate, we've had great weather. Mostly sunny, highs in the 70's and low 80's.

It's funny to see people in the Oxford Hills dressed in summer clothes. Normally I'm used to seeing everyone coated with layers of flannel, and then some more flannel on top of that flannel.

We've had a chance to explore a little bit- we did our planned whale watch from Portland, but also drove up Mt. Washington, really, on a whim. What an incredible place, a real jewel of the east.

We've had some pretty darn good food. From lobster roles at the Second Congo Church luncheon, to gigantic pastrami sandwiches at the full belly deli in in Portland, to my capers-olives-peppers- and anchiove pasta I devoured at Graziano's in Lisbon Falls, we've had some great meals here.

It is almost time to pack it up, head back to the daily grind in good old Columbus, Ohio. But for now, I'm going to go suck in a few more gallons of this clean air and sip a few drinks of the cold spring water.

Tom

Time to go to Maine Again

2009-07-06T21:51:00.004-04:00

Oh darn, Megan and I are leaving for the in-laws' place again tomorrow. Catch a hint of sarcasm here? It is time to get the camera gear cleaned up and packed up. We're catching an early flight tomorrow to Dulles, then off to Portland Maine. A one hour drive up into the Oxford Hills, and we'll be set for a week at Little Pond. Clean-cool-air, balsam fir-scented forest, wind wisping through the pines- really a fairy land place for this midwestern botanist. I can't wait. I'll catch you on the backside of the flights.

Tom

Ohio Nature Bloggers

2009-07-05T07:25:00.004-04:00

I've been blogging about the Natural History of Ohio since early 2006- it still blows my mind that this old blog has been around that long. Over 700 posts later, it's hard to believe I'm still at it.

This is a list that I've been wanting to assemble for quite some time. Ohio has numerous, fascinating nature blogs and equally interesting bloggers. Here is a current listing of the Ohio Nature Blogs that I read that are updated regularly. Please add your favorites to the comments, no Ohio nature blogger should be omitted from this list. This post is intended to be a living, hopefully growing list.

Red and The Peanut
Every Day the Bird Lover's Way ... A Cincinnati Birding and Nature Journal

I recently found Kelly's blog. Situated in southwest Ohio, she writes from the area of the state that I visit the least. Kelly has a keen eye for capturing bird behavior and interesting bird poses that don't typically make magazines, but are just as important, and more interesting than a straight pose.

Heather of the Hills
A Grown Up Kid Enjoying Nature's Playground

Heather blogs from southeast Ohio, often giving insight to the hilly regions of that part of our state. Heather also has a great photographic eye- her compositions always grab my attention.

Ohio Birds and Biodiversity
A romp through the diverse flora and fauna of Ohio
By Jim McCormac

James S. McCormac is a friend and co-worker. When I first started working, our desks were about 10 feet apart and he provided great work place laughs as well as fantastic natural history knowledge. He travels around Ohio and the country striving to quench his thirst for biodiversity. Luckily for us, he is really, really thirsty.

Bill of the Birds
My name is Bill and I am a bird watcher.

Bill, I've never met you, but I sure would like to. I've been reading your blog for about 4 years now, we both seem to love technology, nature, birds, we both play guitar, we both have brown eyes and glasses...it goes on.

This is My Blog
By Tom, aka "The Fishing Guy"

I don't think Tom really knows he is a nature blogger, but he sure is. From fish to deer, birds to dragonflies, his interest in the natural world is readily apparent through his photography. Tom blogs from Kent, Ohio, and lives very near where my great great grandparents farmed a bit of land in Franklin Twp. Ohio in the 1860's.

Julie Zickefoose I'm an artist and writer who lives in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio.

Julie- I miss your painting posts.

Abe's Birds Blog
by Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln from Brookville, Ohio, is an amazing photographer. Capturing shots from his backyard, he has photographed bird behavior that I've never even seen. My favorite shot from Abe? It has to be the blue jay with a wispy puff of condensation escaping from its mouth on a cold day.

Weedpicker's Journal
Cheryl's Flora and Fliers

Cheryl writes from north central Ohio- Great photographs of butterflies and plants, which if you think about it, is a great idea for a blog. Cheryl recently moved over to blogger, so add her RSS feed to your reader if you haven't already.

Dirty Trees
Bob Klip's Brain on Botany

Bob Klips may not realize that he has a blog, but he does. Dated entries, photographs, text, it is definitely a blog. Bob, all you need is to add a commenting feature and an RSS feed. I just found Bob's site, and his photography is crisp, detailed, and focused on really showing you what makes a plant a plant. If you want to learn about plants, this is a must visit.

Nature Remains
By Nina

Nina blogs almost every day from her amazing property in southeast Ohio.

Best Bets for Birding the Crane-Creek Magee Region
by Kenn Kaufman

Author Kenn Kaufman's updates on one of the most famous birding regions in the world, which just happens to be right here in Ohio.

Midwest Native Plants, Gardens, and Wildlife
by Janet Creamer
Although Janet lives and works in Indiana, most of her naturalizing seems to be done in Ohio.

Birds from Behind
By Dave Lewis

I recently discovered Dave's blog, and I'm glad I did. Writing from Northeast Ohio, he isn't afraid to show a bird's "bad side".

Blue Jay Barrens
by Steve Willson

Steve has blogging about Blue Jay Barrens, a really cool xeric prairie in Adams County, since May. He already has 41 posts of this great natural area, and I look forward to his new posts.

So there you go, the Ohio Nature Blogs that are in my reader.

Your job is to add to this list.

Tom

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-04T06:00:00.002-04:00

Holmes County, Ohio

Sanibel Island, Florida

Cleveland, Ohio

To everyone across this great nation, happy Independence day. We'll be spending the day with my parents in Munroe Falls, Ohio.

Meet Up with Tom, AKA The Fishing Guy

2009-07-03T10:26:00.003-04:00

About a week ago, I had the opportunity to meet up with Tom aka "The Fishing Guy" at Kent Bog State Nature Preserve. I made a quick check of the bog and updated a few rare plant records. We had a great time looking at the tamaracks, sedges, and other bog plants. For more, check out Tom's post of our meeting.

Have a fantastic and safe holiday weekend.

Tom

More Moths- And a New Avatar

2009-07-02T15:24:00.013-04:00

I'm really starting to get into this moth thing, but first things first. I have a brand new avatar. Megan snapped this shot of me and Weston last evening, as we just peeked our heads into the living room. The soft and diffuse light pouring in from the window really lit us nicely. I've always thought Weston had a dark complexion- but his baby skin, preciously protected from the sun, is so much lighter than my own, sun baked complexion.

So here we go. Two days ago, I showed shots of the non-moth insects that frequent our lamp post. Now, let's go on to the moths.

Number one- This one has very long wings that are held out, so it is very wide, rather than long and narrow. Could it fold its wings and look very different? I'm not sure. I believe this is the first time I photographed this species.

Number two. An interesting white job. Again, I'm not sure if moths have a choice whether to rest with their wings open or closed. This one's white wings seem to be folded up and downwards, almost like a long cape.

And here is a really strange one, it is more antenna than moth. Look at those long, filamentous feelers. I photographed this species (or perhaps genus) last year when I did my first creatures of the night photo adventure. Isn't cool how there are two reflections of it on the glass of the lamppost?

Here's the weird one. Not much to it, and very strange, long, twig-like legs and antennae. This one creeps me out perhaps more than the others, and I'm not exactly sure why. Another view:

Here's a tiny moth clinging to our painted white brick wall of our first story. See those tiny bubbles in the paint? That and the small green bug should give a sense of scale.

And finally, we have this rather handsome looking moth. Alabaster white with a tinge of salty caramel striping.

I encourage you to get out tonight and photograph moths. Digital photography, especially the great macro modes available on every point and shoot cameras, can really make moths interesting. Although they have the same basic body plan and parts, I'm amazed just how different each species really is. So much biodiversity in just our front and backyards, it is almost hard to believe I was missing out on these creatures for so long.

Tom

A Red-Tailed Larva

2009-07-02T06:30:00.000-04:00

Have you ever tried to identify what species of tadpole you have just captured? Ryan Schroeder caught this gray treefrog tadpole at Lou Campbell State Nature Preserve last Friday and I snapped a quick picture. The diagnostic feature? Its rich red tail.

Tom

Creatures of the Night

2009-06-30T06:30:00.001-04:00

I know that you're probably sick of me writing about it, but since we move to our new house about a year ago, I've had to look harder for interesting photographic subjects close to home. But really, the subjects are endless. One of my favorite places to photograph biological diversity is the lamppost that sits in our front yard, and one of our lights in the backyard. Take a look at what I photographed this past Saturday evening, and this selection doesn't even include the moths. I don't know the names of these creatures, scientific or common, and I'm plenty OK with that. I would like to learn them in time- now I'm just trying to observe them and learn about them, without having the trouble of learning names. Once I really learn each creature, the name should be easy. That being said, I wouldn't mind input if you recognize one of these buggers.

Tom

Gypsy Moths at Highbanks Metro Park

2009-06-29T06:30:00.001-04:00

Spring in late June???

A unsolicited, rather interesting comment appeared on my blog several weeks ago, completely unrelated to the post subject on Carex.

"Just thought you might know about Highbanks Metro Park. I was walking there today and noticed that a few acres near the top paths across from the nature center seem to have lost all of their leaves. Have you seen this and do you know what is going on there? All the trees are bald in that section of the trail."

My reply: "Maybe Gypsy Moths?"

Well, surely, an outbreak of the non-native gypsy moths, have defoliated at least ten, if not closer to forty, acres of oak dominated forest southwest of the nature center.
On Saturday, June 27, Megan, Weston and I went to hike at Highbanks, and I wasn't quite ready for what we experienced. Megan perhaps described it best, as "a fairy land". We were walking through dark, shaded forest, slowly coming upon the defoliated tree area. We were greeted with not only bright sun and mostly naked trees, but also thousands of fluttering male gypsy moths. They weren't shy either, and had no problem landing on me as I photographed them.

A male gypsy moth

Female gypsy moths, flightless, with eggs

The ultimately gross pupae cases of the moths. Notice the silk- they were originally imported to Massachusetts for their silk producing abilities, escaped, and the rest is history.

A few ash trees were spared- the maples and oaks were not.

The park now has excellent signage that tells the whole story. Regular runners and hikers at the park seem unfazed by the creepiness that is a gypsy moth infestation. Next year, the park will be using GypCheck to limit damage. GypCheck is actually made from dead gypsy moths, and is currently the most environmentally friendly control method available.

Tom

Evening Photography Fun

2009-06-28T19:58:00.005-04:00

Last night I stayed up just a little bit later than normal, and captured these images. Any guesses as to what I'm showing here? Just a little Sunday evening fun. Enjoy the week.

Carex Retrorsa, Reflexed Bladder Sedge

2009-06-28T06:33:00.001-04:00

We botanists love sedges. With over 160 Ohio species in the genus Carex alone, this group alone can provide a lifetime of wonderment. On Friday June 26th, at Lou Campbell State Nature Preserve, Ryan Schroeder and I happened across a nice wet sedgy spot that was home to a really rare sedge in Ohio (state endangered), Carex retrorsa, or the reflexed bladder sedge. How did it get that name, you ask? Well, the word retrorse, when used in the botanical vernacular, means bent or curved backward or downward.

See anything retrose about this sedge? The perigynia, which are actually the sedge's female flowers, are the large spiky things. The balloon shaped sack is where the seed of the sedge develops, called an achene. In Carex retrorsa, the perigynia are pointed out and even downward. Reflexed = retrorse. Reflexed bladder sedge. It all makes sense, doesn't it?

The most interesting thing about this find is that Carex retrorsa had been found in Lucas County before 2009- but over 100 years ago. That was until Wednesday, when Oak Openings botanical guru Tim Walters found it somewhere in the area, and showed it to my boss. Said boss just happened to mention Tim's find to me on Thursday. Then, Ryan and I just happened to find Carex retrorsa at Lou Campbell State Nature Preserve. Quite a story, isn't it? Not documented for over 100 years (in the oak openings), then, twice in three days.

Tom

The next post I'm working on is video and photographs of the gypsy moth infestation at Highbanks Metropark.

The Floral Wonders of Lou Campbell State Nature Preserve

2009-06-27T06:43:00.006-04:00

Although not intentionally planned, I have visited two of Ohio's most interesting botanical regions the last two Fridays of botanizing. Last week, it was the Adams County area, full of dolomite prairies and other cool things, and yesterday, I was in the Oak Openings at Lou Campbell State Nature Preserve, recently opened to the public. The commonality between the two areas? Butterfly milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa, was in full bloom during both my visits. Here in the Oak Openings, it just wasn't covered with great spangled fritillaries.

Wow, isn't that a great view? The fountainous big bluestem intermixed with the orange of the butterfly weed would make a gardener jealous. I'm always impressed by nature's arrangement of the landscape- we can only attempt to replicate this arrangement with hard work and dedication, but in natural systems, it just happens all by itself, with a little help from us via prescribed burns.

Speaking of grass like plants, during this trip, I found what our friend Jim McCormac has termed a "mega-rarity". An endangered sedge species, that until Wednesday, was only known from the most extreme northwest county in Ohio. Tim Walters discovered it somewhere in the Oak Openings on Wednesday. Ryan Schroeder and I found it on Friday at Lou Campbell preserve, just two days later. I'll detail the find in a future post, look for it soon.

But now, some of the showy early summer flowering plants from Lou Campbell State Nature Preserve.

White colic root, Aletris farinosa

Flowering spurge, Euphorbia corollata

Lythrum alatum, winged loosestrife, our NATIVE loosestrife that is also purple.

Virginia mountain mint, Pycnanthemum virginianum

Kalm's St. John's wort, Hypericum kalmianum

Swamp rose, Rosa palustris

and finally, a Pucoon, a Lithospermum species.

Even though we're entering summer, Ohio still has very interesting wildflower species in bloom. We're "in-between" the typical heights of the season- spring wildflowers and summer prairies, but Lou Campbell Preserve has plenty to offer. If you're in the northwest Ohio area, be sure to visit and check out the trail that Ryan and his staff have built. Wet prairies, oak forest, lupine savanna- it's all there. Just remember to bring your mosquito gear- if you aren't careful, they'll carry you away.

Tom

Adams County Teems with Life

2009-06-25T20:00:00.003-04:00

Isn't this butterfly weed, covered with eleven (can you count more?) great spangled fritillaries, spectacular? We had a great time botanzing and naturalizing on last Friday's trip to Adams County, which one of Ohio's southernmost counties on the Ohio River. No names today, please just enjoy the photos of these plants and animals. Thanks to the Ohio Heritage Naturalists for a great trip.

Tom

16 Weeks and Counting

2009-06-22T20:32:00.006-04:00

Weston noticed today that he dropped off the front page again, so it must be time to give him some face time. Can you believe that today he is exactly 16 weeks old? Hard to believe, it seems like he was just born. Here he is riding in his car seat, on the way to the Columbus Zoo. He's doing his best job to calm himself- thumb in mouth and finger wrapped around the nose. Happy 16 weeks, little guy.

Tom

The Spatterdock Darner Lives in Southern Ohio Too

2009-06-19T07:30:00.002-04:00

Singer Lake Bog, 2006. This vegetation filled water basin can be treacherous. The sort of olive green, round shaped leaves with an upward pointing tip are those of spatterdock

Great day of botanizing at Singer Lake Bog yesterday, but no pictures. Just not a place I was willing to take the camera. A quaking wet bog mat just begs to suck cameras right in. Although, today I met Greg, a museum staff member that is currently making a short film of Singer Lake. He brought his video camera, all $15,000 dollars worth of it. I held my breath. It stayed dry.

Spatterdock darner, Lawrence County, Ohio, photo by Rick Gardner.

We were able to see interesting dragonflies, including the elfin skimmer, a state endangered species. But one dragonfly that we didn't see was the spatterdock darner, even though there is plenty of spatterdock, an emergent yellow flowerd water-lily type plant, in the bog. My co-worker Rick Gardner photographed did find a spatterdock darner, however, while botanizing the Wayne National Forest in Lawrence County, way down in southern Ohio. Rick is not only one of the best botanists in the state, but he also has his camera at the ready if an interesting animal cuts across his gaze between his eyes and the plant that he is scrutinizing. In case you missed them, also check out his images of a thirteen-lined ground squirrel.

What's even cooler about Rick's find is that the spatterdock darner, at least according to the somewhat outdated range map on the Ohio Odonata Society's website, is not only a county record, but a regional record, having never been documented for any county south of Franklin (the county from which I write this blog). Check out this map. Lawrence is the southernmost county in Ohio. Great find, Rick.

Tom

Catawba Nights

2009-06-18T23:59:00.003-04:00

Howdy all, are you ready for the weekend? Big day on Saturday for us at the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, our annual Cranberry Bog open house, and we have 550 people signed up, with walkups sure to come as well. It makes for a long day, especially if it is hot and sunny.

Some of you have seen my TA Photography blog where I put some of my favorite images that I've recently taken. I've set that blog up to be a photo gallery- the images are much larger there. I just added a thirty second time exposure from our Lake Erie trip two weeks ago. Here's a sample, but it looks so much better just a little bigger and viewed on a black background. See it here.

Tom

It's Always Nice to Find What You're Looking For

2009-06-17T18:56:00.007-04:00

As many of you know, my job involves looking for rare plants and high quality natural ares in the Lake Erie watershed portion of Ohio. Searching for rare plants is a combination of knowledge, intuition, sticktoitiveness, extreme attention to detail, and sometimes downright luck. Last week, I searched for the tiny one flowered wintergreen at Oak Openings Metropark for about 3 hours, only to come up empty. It was the only sight know for that little plant in Ohio, and if I can't find it in the next week or two, it will probably be considered an extirpated species instead of endangered, because it won't have been seen for over twenty years.

Today was a different story. I went to relocate Iris brevicaulis at Dupont Marsh State Nature Preserve, adjacent to the Huron River in Erie County. Coupled with the knowledge of where the plant had been found, and the knowledge provided to me by my guide today, Brad Phillips of Erie Metroparks, were were able to locate this beautiful iris within about 5 minutes of stepping off the trail. A good day, indeed. This species was last documented from Dupont Marsh in 1991. It differs from our other blue irises, mostly distinctly, by its short, zig-zag stem, spreading perianth (the flower), and its 6 angled capsule (if fruiting).

Here's the more common iris of the Lake Erie marshes, Iris versicolor. I snapped this shot at the Navarre Unit of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge while co-worker Rick Gardner and I were surveying the vegetation of the diked marshes in the area, so very close to the Davis-Besse nuclear power station.

Notice how much longer the flowering stems are in the directly above, and then compare that with the low flower image in the next image up- the Iris versicolor flowers are the same height as the leaves, whereas the Iris brevicaulis flowers are hidden amongst the lower reaches of the blades.

It's always nice to find what you're looking for, and today, that is exactly what happened.

Tom

Remember Warbler Mania?

2009-06-16T19:26:00.007-04:00

It's hard to believe that it was only about a month ago that our trees were dripping with warblers, and now, not so much. Over Memorial Day weekend spent at Little Pond, Maine, I photographed a few birds, including several warblers. Here are those images for your perusal.

To learn more about Little Pond, check out this short film I created during our time their this past May.

Tom

A Long Journey, but it's All Roses Now.

2009-06-15T13:32:00.009-04:00

On an early morning outing on my day off at the Whetsone Park of Roses, a real gem of Columbus, I encountered this beautiful shelled creature. I went to photograph the rose garden for my microstock photography venture, but came back with a decidedly more interesting image. That is, if, you just happen to love turtles, and well, I just happen to love turtles.

This is a three-toed box turtle, a subspecies of the eastern box turtle. This girl's bland olive shell and only a small little bit of orange on the side of its face tipped me off right away that she released here in Columbus, and was enjoying her time at the park. A quick look at her only hind leg (the right one was completely missing) and my initial ID was confirmed- three long toes with sharp fingernails- and a perfectly flat lower shell and small tail meant she was a she.

I happened to talk to a few Columbus Recreation and Parks employees, and they said they encounter box turtles frequently, but they thought they were the native subspecies. Now my interest is really piqued. Surely, the turtle that I found was released by an unwilling pet owner. The three-toed subspecies is the one supplied in the pet industry here in Ohio, although I've not seen wild caught ones offered for sale in a while. This turtle was probably hatched somewhere in the Southern U.S. in the wild, caught by a dealer, sold to a pet wholesaler, who then sold it to a pet store, who then sold it to a pet owner who eventually got bored and released the turtle back into "the wild". Now that is a story that I should expand upon. Now she's able to cruise the woods, lawns, and rose gardens of Columbus' Whetsone Park.

Tom

The Bugs of Crawford County

2009-06-14T11:40:00.011-04:00

A wonderful time photographing The Bridges of Madison County yesterday. Oh wait, I mean the Bugs of Crawford County. Woops.

First, the beetles:

This yellow and black one may be a bug, on second look? What do you think?

Sorry for scaring the crap out of you, little lady beetle.

The Bugs:

The Damsels:
I'll give you ten points if you can name any one of these species.

And finally, this gigantic fishing spider. It wasn't eating the slug, but we did watch it eat several smaller spiders that dared to walk near it. Lightning fast, what an amazing creature.

Again, we had a great time yesterday doing a bioblitz for Crawford County along the upper portions of the Sandusky River. This river is a hidden gem of northern central Ohio.

Tom

A Dragon for Warren

2009-06-13T21:00:00.004-04:00

For those of you that know Warren Uxley at the Crawford County Park district, he really wanted to see a black shouldered spiny legs in Crawford County today along the Sandusky River. We were doing a bioblitz today, and Warren had to leave just before the sun came out and the dragons really started flying. I can't be certain, but if I had to guess, I would say that this is a black shouldered spinylegs, judging by its dark shoulders, abdominal spots, and long hind legs.

Tom

Update: I just check the Ohio Odonata website, and according to the maps there, although they are a little out of date, the last published or documented occurrence of this species is from before 1950. Unforuneately, this photo wouldn't pass muster with the records committee, but it just shows you that there haven't been many folks finding this species in Crawford County recently.

Muffleheads, Midges, or Chironomids- Your Choice

2009-06-13T20:30:00.004-04:00

If you've been to Lake Erie within the past two or three weeks, you've likely seen thousands of these rather large flies, bigger than a typical mosquito. Taxonomically speaking, they're in the family Chironimidae, and known by the denizens of Ohio's north coast as midges or even "muffleheads". Millions and millions of these creatures have hatched from Lake Erie this June- they'll mate and die quickly. This one is a male, identifiable by its brush-like antennae.

This one, without the brush like antennae, I presume is a female.

These insects don't bite or spread disease, but why they're increasing is debated. Some researchers believe that the midges are a sign of polluted low oxygen zones, while other researchers believe that they indicate a cleaner lake. They also helped the Cleveland Indians in a fall playoff series against the New York Yankees in 2007. They swarmed pitcher Joba Chamberlain as he was on the mound, rattling him to the point where he could not recover.

Tom

This is my contribution to this week's Camera Critters meme, hosted by Misty Dawn.