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S. C. Fresh Water Habitats: a discovery packet Learn about limnology -the study of inland water bodies. Pond or lake? There is no fixed answer! This is still an area of debate among scientists but ... Pond - a relatively shallow body of water in which light can penetrate the bottom. There is a potential for plant life to be supported across the pond. The temperature is relatively constant throughout. Lake - a deeper body of water, with areas where light can not penetrate. There are plants at the edge, but not in deeper areas. Temperatures vary in different zones. In South Carolina all our lakes are constructed, not natural. South Carolina Lakes Courtesy: SCETV & Knowitall.org Rivers? Streams? Creeks? These are all names for water flowing on the Earth's surface. Again, there are no fixed rules, but size is an indicator. - creek - small, stream - bigger, river - biggest. Other Water Features South Carolina Watersheds Courtesy: SC Dept. of Natural Resources Find a pond or lake - draw what you see Always exercise care around water - have adult supervision Are the sides shallow or steep? Are there plants in the water? Are there plants on the banks, out of the water? Are there any animals above, on, or in the water? What else do you see? Find a river, stream or creek - draw what you see. Always exercise care around water - have adult supervision! Are the sides shallow or steep? Are there plants in the water? Are there plants on the banks, out of the water? Are there any animals above, on, or in the water? What else do you see? Look closer! Can you find these water-loving trees? Bald Cypress Black willow River Birch Taxodium distichum Salix nigra Betula nigra Bald cypress are used by The willows are among the Catkins of the River Birch are many wildlife species. first plants to provide honey used by redpolls and pine bees, after long winters, with siskins. Foliage is eaten by deer nectar and pollen. and other browsers. The small but plentiful seeds are eaten by many songbirds. Make a leaf collection http://sernecportal.org/portal/ For hundreds of years scientists and amateurs have collected and pressed leaves which can be used in scientific research. You can make your own collection. If you don’t have a leaf press, use newspaper, a square of plywood/heavy cardstock and heavy books/bricks. Find a flat surface in a room with good ventilation. Lay down 2 or 3 sheets of newspaper. Arrange the leaves flat and without overlapping. Cover with 2 or 3 more sheets of newspaper and repeat. Cover the top layer of newspaper with stiff cardboard or plywood. Put weight (books, bricks, etc.) on top of the plywood/ Water Tupelo Sugarberry cardboard to press leaves flat and hold them in Nyssa aquatica Celtis laevigata position. Leave at least 2 weeks. Attracts Bees, other pol- Its sweetish fruit is eaten Once dried, mount on white card and write on essential linators. small mammals by birds and rodents. data: date and place found, description of the plant, altitude, and special habitat conditions. and songbirds. Many bird The leaves are eaten by species, especially water- a number of insects, for fowl and small mammals, example caterpillars of the use the fruit as a food Io moth (Automeris io). source, and deer browse on new foliage and twigs. Wading birds by John J. Audubon John James Audubon (1785 - 1851) was an American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. Audubon wanted to make a record of all the bird species of North America. He was renowned for his detailed pictures of birds, often in their natural habitat. He attained his detailed depictions by shooting the birds he painted. His major work The Birds of America (1827–1839), is one of the greatest ornithological works ever. Great Blue Heron Roseate Spoonbill Ardea herodias Platalea ajaja “You might imagine what you “To procure their food, the see to be the statue of a bird,so Spoonbills first generally motionless is it. But now, he alight near the water, into moves; he has taken a silent step, which they then wade up and with great care he advances; to the tibia, and immerse slowly does he raise his head from their bills in the water his shoulders, and now, what a or soft mud, sometimes sudden start! his formidable bill with the head and even has transfixed a perch, ...” the whole neck beneath the surface.” Snowy Egret Black-Crowned Night Heron Egretta thula Nycticorax nycticorax “The Snowy Heron, while in the “... it walks in a stooping Carolinas, in the month of April, posture, the neck much resorts to the borders of the retracted, until it sees its salt-water marshes, and feeds prey, when, with a sudden principally on shrimps. ... While I movement, it stretches it out was at Charleston, in March 1831, and secures its food. It is never few had arrived from the Floridas seen standing motionless, by the 18th of that month, but on waiting for its prey, like the 25th thousands were seen in the true Herons, but is the marshes and rice-fields, all in constantly moving about full plumage.” in search of it.’ To learn more about South Carolina’s water birds visit this South Carolina Department of Natural Resources website: https://www.sccoastalbirds.org/ waterbirds Top to bottom: Great Blue Heron, Roseate Spoonbill, Snowy Egret & Black-Crowned Night Heron How to draw birds. Drawing birds is very rewarding, but can be challenging since they often move quickly. Audubon shot the birds he drew and painted, you can take photographs of the birds you see or draw from other people’s photos. For tips on how to draw birds visit: https://johnmuirlaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/How-to-draw- birds.pdf Pond & stream Dipping 101 Supplies: a long handle net white tub magnifying glass ice tray to sort specimens guide to pond life plastic spoons Tips for pond and stream dipping responsibly As with any activity in nature, it’s important to make sure you look out for the safety of the wildlife, and the pond dippers too! Make sure you have permission to access any pond. Children should only pond dip with an adult. Wash and rinse your hands before starting so that you don’t inadvertently transfer soap, lotion or sweat into the pond water. Do not move animals between ponds. This risks spreading bacteria or disease and it is also illegal to move many species of wild animal. Replace any rocks you moved back to their original position. Avoid touching any of the animals with your hands. Use plastic spoons to move your animals, not tweezers or forceps. Pipettes can also damage your catch. Separate out carnivores - you don’t want them to eat your other creatures. Return all of you catch – plants and animals - after you’ve finished identifying everything. Wash your hands or gloves after any pond dipping activity. https://www.macroinvertebrates.org/ Life on and in the pond I saw a water strider I saw a water spider Water striders and some spiders use the waters’ surface tension to their advantage. Their light weight and long legs help them with this, they are able to press down a little and then spring forward using the surface tension. In addition, they are covered in tiny hairs that trap air and the air repels water. Water strider Heteroptera Photo: Martin R. Lucas I saw a water beetle Look for predacious diving beetles at the quiet edges of the pond, among the weeds. Their rear legs are long, flattened, and fringed to provide surface area to aids in flotation and swimming. When it is ready to dive, it stores a supply of air under the wings for breathing while under water. The predacious diving beetle is a seldom seen but very common aquatic insect. In fact, there are over 500 species in North America. Predacious Diving Beetle Acilius mediatus Photo: Tom Murray I saw a water scorpion You might need a dip net fo find this critter. Water scorpions live primarily in the bottoms of muddy ponds, hiding among dead, water- logged leaves. They use their tail-like appendages rather like a snorkel to breath air. They are predacious and eat other pond life. Water scorpion Ranatra Photo: Molly Jacobson I saw a caddis fly larva This is the builder of the aquatic world. The caddis fly larva use silk to make protective cases which they then reinforce with sticks, rocks, sand or other debris. Caddis Fly Larva Lepidostoma Photo: Joyce Gross Is my stream healthy? Everything is connected Creeks flow into streams flow into rivers flow into lakes or oceans The water we drink depends on the health of our natural water features. You can take part in discovering whether your stream is healthy and share this infomation with scientists by using this app and surveying your stream! Become a citizen scientist with Creek Critters There's a whole world of critters in our streams! Find and identify these bugs to discover what they can tell us about the health of our water. Download the free Creek Critters app to your Apple or Android Device. Click Collect or Identify Critters. Follow simple step-by-step instructions to collect and identify bugs in your stream. The app creates a Stream Health Score based on your findings. Share your score with your community on the national monitoring map! Perfect for school programs, community events, and budding scientists. No training required! Download Now! Google Play Apple Store Look for jewelwings flittering around streams and their nymphs in the stream.

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