Vertebrates in a Water Trough

So the first trough had no vertebrates! Yeah! We continued on.

The next water trough had fish and of course are vertebrates!

Here an exuvia was fished out of the water.
Rushes were growing in the trough.
Certainly snails were no surprise.
Between the 2rd and 3rd trough we were surprised to see the Bluebells (Eustoma grandiflorum) and a few Mountain Pink (Zeltnera beyrichii)!
Third trough.
All the troughs had backswimmers and diving beetles.
All the troughs had the muck. However the muck varied in color from shades of gray to blackish.

In some of the troughs we removed the top layer of floating algae to get to the bottom.

Cattails had taken up residence in this trough. And this was the only trough to host mosquito larvae!
A paper wasp (Polistes) was a goner.
A floater, the Resh Cicada (Megatibicen resh).

Circling back to the first trough, we found the water was mostly clear again. And the Ringed Paper Wasp (Polistes annularis) were sipping.

So it was good news, only vertebrates were fish in the water troughs, no dead mammals or birds! And fish were ok about being in the water. LOL.

These Bizarre Blood-Sucking Fish Have a “Jaw-Dropping” Evolutionary Origin

Unexpected Discovery: Freshwater Flatworm Forms Complex Societies With Soldier Castes

Scorpions

Keep looking!

The more you know, the more you see and the more you see, the more you know

13 Comments

  1. The trough with the mosquito larvae needs some relocated mosquito fish! Such an interesting project. I’m glad y’all didn’t find any bat carcasses.

  2. Yikes – cannot imagine the ancient 10 foot long scorpion much less the 9 incher in the present day! And they dance and glow and can fast for a year. Pretty amazing.

    Wonder what one would see if they put a drop of that trough water under a scope?

  3. Are these troughs at the grasslands? I never saw any with the rubber tire wrap in all the years I rode out there. Are they the trough themselves or just a wrapping around the metal?

    1. Yes grasslands. They have done many improvements. The troughs are made from huge tires cut in half with concrete bottoms and fed by piped in water lines. They have gotten dome grants. Additionally they have replaced some of the fencing.

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