Bugs found in the Black River!

Yes, it’s true…the bugs of the Black River are once again giving a performance. Dozens of mayfly larvae, a damselfly larva, even a couple of freaky-looking fishfly larvae made an appearance during my visit with the cool kids of Miss Calcagni’s science class at Riverside Middle School last week.

The kids were helping in a project to sort and count various river critters as a way to learn about the health of the Black River in Springfield, VT. Water pennies were spotted, caddisflies caught, and even a blood-worm was counted among the many wriggling mayflies.

The same group of bugs was checked out by some local Girl Scouts a couple of days later, as part of World Water Monitoring Day. The girls and their moms not only explored the pans of bugs, but everyone grabbed a net and headed into the water to find more! With low water levels, warm sunshine and a gentle fall breeze, it was a perfect day for bug hunting. The girls are working on earning their Water Drop Patch and Linking Girls To The Land Patch, both from the EPA.