I netted bugs a few times previous to this trip, lower down on the same river, earlier in the year.
But I didn't get usable photos on those previous trips. I'm still learning how to use this closeup equipment.
On those earlier trips I saw many more mayflies and caddis. I attributed that (in my mind) to the
difference between low-down on the river, where it is slower and there are more aquatic plants,
and high up on the river, where it is fast, cold, silt-free and there are no weeds. High up on the
river all I saw was sculpins and big stonefly nymphs.
But someone else pointed out that in August the mayfly nymphs have all hatched into
adults already. They have a one-year life cycle. I'll have to figure out when the freshly-hatched
mayfly nymphs first start to appear as wriggling critters. The big stoneflies live as nymphs for several seasons
before hatching. So they're around all the time. I still think I'm going to find significant species distribution variation, at
different locations on different rivers. But that remains to be seen now. And I will also
have to do a bit of sampling at different times of year now too. This has been a fun project.
I'm looking forward to continuing it.
So. Now I need to hurry up and wait. And do some more organized sampling at different times of
year. I'll post photos 3-4 times a year. From here on out. What will I see?
Ah. That now remains to be seen.
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