Beyond Your Backyard 🐌 "The Super Heroes of the River - Built for Survival"

By Kimberly J. Epp

On Sunday, September 15th, a group of 20 eager participants (both young and old) met at Wellesley Park for an introduction to some of the creatures they might find in the river.

Net dipping for insects, minnows, crayfish and other creatures that live in the Moose Jaw River. (Photo by Kimberly Epp)

I call the creatures 'super heroes', as they each have special adaptations which help them to both survive and thrive. A short jaunt across the bridge was then made to an area which Rich Pickering helped to set up - with two tables and several aquariums. It was a beautiful fall day, with a high of 30 degrees, and the river was teeming full of life.

With one swoop of the net, you were sure to catch dozens of minnows. But only when you looked a little closer, could you see that there was so much more.

Going through the species we caught (Photo by Murray Hammur)

Some of the critters caught included a large leopard frog, a water strider, water boatmen, whirligig beetles, backswimmers, minnows, several crayfish, pond snails, and more. Although we never found any dragonfly larvae, we saw plenty of dragonflies flying around looking to mate.

What's in there? (Photo by Kimberly Epp)

Oh, and one cannot forget the tiny "Captain Suction" found on the toes of the youngest participant - who had decided to go barefoot. The little girl was intrigued as I had her place her toes in the basin so I could ease the tiny leech off. Leeches have the ability to suction themselves onto their prey so they can then suck their blood.

So, what are some of the interesting super powers some of these tiny creatures have?

I call the Leopard Frog "Captain Unfreezable". During winter, the frog hibernates in the mud. The frog appears to be frozen solid, yet it is still alive. This is due to a special glucose made in its liver that travels in the blood and keeps the internal organs from freezing.

Leopard Frog doing the froggie thing. They sit and wait for prey to one to them, then catch them with their sticky tongue. (Photo by Murray Hammur)

Probably the highlight for the kids was when the frog was put back into the river, and watching him slowly swim away. The colouring of the frog allows it to blend in to its surroundings. Because it sits still and waits for prey to come near, one might never see it.

The release of the Leopard Frog. (Photo by Patti Kosteniuk)

Another interesting creature of the river is the crayfish, or as I call it, "Captain Regeneration". This "freshwater lobster" has no fear, and that may be because of its superpower. We caught one that had only one claw (pincher). However this pincher has the ability to grow back, or regenerate. Even with just one pincher, the crayfish has a good "pinch".

This “may” have been the crayfish that clipped me with its claw. I mean look at that face? Revenge was on his mind! Said crayfish was returned to the river unharmed. (Photo by Murray Hammur)

At the end of its claws, you can see that they are red-tipped. In the animal world, red means danger. I should have heeded that warning when I held the one that had a bit of a bad attitude! When the crayfish swims, it fans its tail and always swims backwards. This way, its claws are always in the ready to defend itself from an attacking predator.

A crayfish looking fierce (Photo by Kimberly Epp)

Another interesting water beetle we caught was the Water Boatman. The Water Boatman has several superpowers, but I call this beetle "Captain Rowboat". Its long hind legs propel itself through the water like rows on a boat. These legs are powered by hundreds of tiny hairs, which also help the beetle float on the surface. Like many other water beetles, the boatman carries a bubble of air, like a scuba tank, under its abdomen. They use trapped air in their gills to convert water-borne sounds into air-borne sounds. I often hold one on my hand to show the children that once their wings are dry, they simply fly away. In teaching kids, if you show excitement, it is contagious.

You can see the ‘oars' on this Backswimmer. If taken out if the water, this diving beetle flips onto its belly, and it's back looks like a mini tuxedo. The beetle also has a nasty bite. They inject poison into their prey to disable them. (Photo by Murray Hammur)

The Dragonfly Nymph has an interesting lifespan. It lives two years in the water as a nymph, but only one summer as a dragonfly. (But that still beats the mayfly, which lives 2 months to a year as a nymph, but only 24 hours as a fly. In fact, as a fly it lacks mouthparts and digestive system, as it's only job is to mate, lay eggs, and then die.) The dragonfly nymph is not quite as beautiful as an adult dragonfly, as it more or less resembles an alien. Its super power is how it propels itself through the water, and I call it "Captain Propulsion". These nymphs breathe by drawing water in and out of their rear end. This is also how they propel like a jet throughout the water. Dragonfly Nymphs are highly predatory, and will eat almost anything that moves. That includes minnows, small frogs and insect larvae.

This young girl was not too sure about the juvenile crayfish in her dad's hand. (Photo by Kimberly Epp)

The Giant Water Bug is considered a delicacy in Asia. Here in Canada, we know it as a "toe biter", for obvious reasons. Their super power should give you nightmares, and I refer to them as "Captain Dissolver". They pierce their prey with their two mouthparts, and then they inject a poisonous saliva. This poison turns the insides of their prey into liquid so the giant water bug can simply suck their supper out. The giant water bug does have a "soft" side, however, as the father carries the eggs on his back for two weeks. Word of caution; never put a giant water bug in an aquarium full of fish. You will ONLY have a giant water bug in the aquarium the following day! The alien-like larvae of the giant water bug is referred to as a water tiger as it is very ferocious, like a grumpy tiger of the freshwater.

Some of the net dipping education materials. (Photo by Kimberly Epp)

The Caddisfly Larvae is another interesting insect that spends more time as a larvae than as a fly. I call these larvae "Captain Disguise". This larva emits a sticky glue from its mouth to glue together a disguise made of grass, shells or stones. If I see what looks like a small twig, I gently use a strainer to pick it up. Usually a small head and two front legs will pop out, confirming its identity. This disguise is used as protection from predators as well as a disguise to hunt its prey.

A pond snail comes out of its shell to walk across my hand. (Photo by Patti Kosteniuk)

There are so many interesting river critters with many amazing adaptations. Everything is connected, and each animal has its place. The river was full of life on the day we visited it, and that is a good thing. All of the creatures we caught were also returned to the river. Take some time to look at fascinating creatures nature provides us. You don't have to go far. Look in your own yard. Nature is everywhere, and even the tiniest insects are interesting to watch and learn more about.

Join us on Friday for our fall meeting at 6:30 pm at St. Mark's Church. We are excited to announce guest speaker, Jan Shadick from Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation of Saskatoon.

Learn what wildlife rehabbers do to help save wildlife, and meet some of Jan's wildlife ambassadors. The program is free of charge, and refreshments will be available.

The Moose Jaw Nature Society will once again be in charge of filling the feeder at Wakamow. If you have any bird seed donations, please contact Rich Pickering at 693-3183. Many thanks to Kelly Wiens for his years of dedication caring for and filling the feeder. The birds know who the "bringer of birdseed" is!

The feeder will be maintained again in October. If you visit, be sure to bring pine nuts. We will also have another bird feeder workshop in November. Our October meeting will be led by Rich Pickering.

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Epp is an Environmental Educator and nature writer. She is the past president of the Moose Jaw Nature Society and a director and field trip/workshop coordinator. She can be reached at kepp@shaw.ca or on the MJNS Facebook page.