Fly Day Friday
View allAll Photos Tagged stonefly
Today marks the beginning of Spring, the Vernal Equinox. Here we are, walking along the path by the stream called Plantsbrook, near home. Plantsbrook runs for miles and miles - this is just a very small part, but we often visit there, as the sheltered position provides a shield from the recently very cold wind. In the summer, there are many wild flowers along here, so looking forward to their arrival. The lovely willows will soon put their leaves out now.
The soft acid water supports various species such as crayfish, nymphs, stoneflies, mayflies and fresh water shrimps. Minnows are also found living there. Sometimes we'll see an egret or two fishing. This stretch of path is also a cycle path - so we have to be careful of cyclists, but it's just lovely. We like it there. Even the mud on the way home makes it worth while.
Taken with my iPhone 11 and edited in Topaz Studio with the finishing touches in PicMonkey. I do hope you like it. As always, thank you for your support.
Have a very happy Spring - or Autumn for those of you in the southern part of our world.
The treecreepers are a family, Certhiidae, of small passerine birds, widespread in wooded regions of the Northern Hemisphere and sub-Saharan Africa. The family contains eleven species in two genera, Certhia and Salpornis. Their plumage is dull-coloured, and as their name implies, they climb over the surface of trees in search of food.
The family consists of two subfamilies, each with one genus. Their distinctive anatomical and behavioural characteristics are discussed in their respective articles.
• Subfamily Certhiinae, genus Certhia, is the typical treecreepers, with eight species found in Europe and Asia, and one, the brown creeper, in North America.
• Subfamily Salpornithinae, genus Salpornis, contains only the Indian spotted creeper and African spotted creeper.
Some taxonomists place the nuthatches and treecreepers in a larger grouping with the wrens and gnatcatchers. This superfamily, the Certhioidea, was based on phylogenetic studies using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, and was created to cover a clade of four families removed from a larger grouping of passerine birds, the Sylvioidea. The fossil record for this group appears to be restricted to a foot bone of an early Miocene bird from Bavaria which has been identified as an extinct representative of the climbing Certhioidea, a clade comprising the treecreepers, wallcreeper and nuthatches. It has been described as Certhiops rummeli.
Believe this subspecies of Dark-eyed Junco is the Rocky Mountain or Cassiar Junco. This one was wrestling with a Stonefly nymph in July. Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada
Species: Cinclus cinclus.
Location: River Goyt, Cheshire.
A medium-sized, plump bird, the dipper is often seen sitting on a stone in a river or stream, bobbing up and down. It can be found around fast-flowing streams and rivers, mostly in upland areas, It feeds on underwater invertebrates, such as stonefly and caddis fly larvae, by walking straight into, and completely under, the water to find them. Info: Wildlife Trust.
Many thanks to people who view or comment on my photos.
Each year my wife and I head to the river to find winter stoneflies. They are amazing. Emerging from the water, walking over the snow, and with any luck, finding a mate. Also, great color. Remarkably, they are somewhat difficult to photograph as they move constantly.
This super-cool bug lives under water in Lake Meyer. Those forelegs resemble the pincers of a real scorpion and give them their common name. That "stinger" at the back is actually a snorkel that lets them breathe air even when submerged! They sit still on a plant stem and blend right in - perfect camouflage for ambushing other aquatic insects like mayflies, stoneflies and damselflies that are still in the nymph stage. I suppose they could deliver a nasty bite but they are usually well-behaved when handled. Notice the damselfly naiad that is sitting on its back.
Alternative Name: Plecoptera. Stonefly, any of about 2,000 species of insects, the adults of which have long antennae, weak, chewing mouthparts, and two pairs of membranous wings. Sometimes adults still have parts of the gills from the Nymph stage. Adult life span two to three weeks.
A chocolate brown mediumsized plump bird, often seen sitting on a stone in a river or stream, bobbing up and down. It can be found around fast-flowing streams and rivers, mostly in upland areas, but also in South West England. It feeds on underwater invertebrates, such as stonefly and caddis fly larvae, by walking straight into, and completely under, the water to find them.
Milldale, Derbyshire Peak District
The beautiful stone village of Milldale sits at the northern end of the Dovedale Valley in the White Peaks area of the Peak District National Park.
I made this image along the Waupaca River during the spring stonefly hatch. These two were cavorting along a rusted, stream-side railing. They seldom display their wings like this when crawling around.
wings held high
with species-specific venation
it's a black stonefly
Image and haiku by John Henry Gremmer
Usually see Waxwings eating fruit. But it seems they eat insects as well. This pair was perching on tree stumps around a pond and flying in to pick off insects from the water surface or in flight.
From AllAboutBirds.org: Cedar Waxwings feed mainly on fruits year-round. In summer Cedar Waxwings supplement their fruit diet with protein-rich insects including mayflies, dragonflies, and stoneflies, often caught on the wing.
Terra Nova Park, Richmond, BC
The stonefly hatch is a term used for a mix of three distinct overlapping stonefly hatches: giant salmonflies, golden stoneflies, and yellow sallies.
Usually see Waxwings eating fruit. But it seems they eat insects as well. This pair was perching on tree stumps around a pond and flying in to pick off insects from the water surface or in flight.
From AllAboutBirds.org: Cedar Waxwings feed mainly on fruits year-round. In summer Cedar Waxwings supplement their fruit diet with protein-rich insects including mayflies, dragonflies, and stoneflies, often caught on the wing.
Terra Nova Park, Richmond, BC
The treecreepers are a family, Certhiidae, of small passerine birds, widespread in wooded regions of the Northern Hemisphere and sub-Saharan Africa. The family contains eleven species in two genera, Certhia and Salpornis. Their plumage is dull-coloured, and as their name implies, they climb over the surface of trees in search of food.
I was very lucky to spot this Northern Water Snake swimming in Penn's Creek. I was able to sit on the rocks with him for a nice interlude. Cute how he used the Stonefly exuvia for a pillow.
Brown trout were really on the bite today as warming water brought multiple "bug" hatches from the rocky stream bottom. Midges, mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies all felt like flying around in the enchanting evening air. My little fly fooled a few fish which were all released to fight another night.
"The Dipper is a medium-sized, plump, short-tailed, chocolate-brown bird, with a white throat and chest...The Dipper is often seen sitting on a stone in a river or stream, bobbing up and down...It can be found around fast-flowing streams and rivers, mostly in upland areas, but also in South West England...It feeds on underwater invertebrates, such as stonefly and caddis fly larvae, by walking straight into, and completely under, the water to find them...."
I came across this morel mushroom on our hike this morning--first one I've seen in a long long time. It was raining and I almost didn't take my camera. I'm glad I did.
More below....the pics in comments were taken on Friday.
The dipper is a unique, aquatic songbird known for its remarkable ability to hunt for food underwater in fast-flowing, clean rivers and streams. It is a plump, short-tailed bird that gets its name from its characteristic habit of constantly bobbing up and down when perched on a rock.
Physical Appearance
Size: Medium-sized, about 18 cm (7 inches) in length, with a wingspan of 25-30 cm.
Plumage: Adults are dark chocolate-brown, often appearing almost black, with a striking white throat and chest that contrasts with the dark body. Some subspecies may have a chestnut band below the white bib. Juveniles are paler grey-brown and mottled.
Structure: They have a stout body, short wings for a whirring, low flight, and strong, unwebbed legs and clawed feet used for gripping onto slippery riverbeds.
Habitat and Diet
Habitat: Dippers are almost exclusively found along the banks of clean, fast-flowing rivers and streams, typically in upland areas. Their presence is an indicator of good water quality because their primary food sources are sensitive to pollution.
Diet: Their diet primarily consists of aquatic invertebrates, such as insect larvae (mayfly, stonefly, and caddisfly larvae) and freshwater shrimps, which they forage from the riverbed. They may occasionally eat small fish or fish eggs.
Behavior and Adaptations
Foraging: Dippers are exceptional hunters. They walk straight into and under the water, using their strong wings to "fly" or push themselves along the bottom against the current. They can stay submerged for up to 30 seconds.
Unique Adaptations: They have several special adaptations for their aquatic lifestyle:
Dense feathers with a large preen gland to provide a "wetsuit" that traps air bubbles for insulation and waterproofing.
Nostril flaps that seal out water when submerged.
A transparent third eyelid (nictitating membrane) that acts like goggles, allowing them to see clearly underwater.
Blood with a high oxygen-carrying capacity and a low metabolic rate to help them stay underwater longer.
Vocalization: Despite the noise of rushing water, dippers have a loud, melodious, warbling song which they use to communicate and defend their linear territory year-round.
The dipper is a fascinating and characterful bird, a true specialist of the fast-flowing river environment.
This stonefly was only 8 or 9 mm. long, not counting antennae. It had been raining earlier, and if you look closely, there's a raindrop, maybe half a mm. in size, on its head. If you look even more closely, you can see my flash diffuser reflected in it.
The ant was trying to drag the Stonefly, which was bigger than it was. The Stonefly's wings kept getting caught and turning the ant around.
Diptera means "two wings"
The common names of true flies (order Diptera) are written as two words: crane fly, robber fly, bee fly, moth fly, fruit fly, etc.
The common names of non-dipteran insects that have "fly" in their name are written as one word: butterfly, stonefly, dragonfly, scorpionfly, sawfly, caddisfly, whitefly, etc
Adult flies, except for wingless species, all have two functional wings and two halteres. The halteres are club-like appendages that are essentially the modified hind wings. The only other adult insects that only have two wings in both sexes are the Strepsiptera, which have the front wings reduced rather than the hind wings. Males of some species of Mayflies and scale insects have only front wings. A few tiny parasitic wasps, e.g. Mymarommatidae, have their hind wings reduced, but these can be distinguished from flies as the wasps have only one vein in their front wings and flies always have two or more veins in their wings as long as their wings are membranous.