Daigle Pond

Six of us opted to survey Daigle Pond (36 acres) whilst the educational plant paddle was being offered to the community, since we weren't all needed for that. This is a very small set of 2 ponds, with tons of vegetation that clogged the outer edges of the lake, making our passage through it very difficult. The water was icky, leaving one's hands feeling frothy and scummy, so eating lunch on the water was not an option. This lake, too, has issues with water quality and is well below the minimum standard.

Photo: D. Schultz

We ended up spending way more time here than we ought to have, as we kept finding new and interesting things - freshwater fingernail clams (only about an inch long, not seen in the other lakes) and dragonfly carapaces, which I successfully removed by threading their delicate "legs" up and off the top of the tapered bulrushes.

We also encountered many more stands of Calla lilies, some bulbet-bearing water-hemlock, and lots of Coontail with fruits, the first time I've seen them at that stage. I hope I can retain everything (or most) of what I learned in the field.

    

 

That evening we attended the community event at the Senior Center - a BBQ was laid on for the volunteers, and 3 presentations were given to the community.

 

Team photo at the community outreach evening

Photo: K. St Peter