Our first day on Big Lake was hot, and visibility was very, very poor as you can see from these photos - a floating midden of mayfly exoskeletons combined with swirling pollen grains coated the water's surface. These are not decaying fleshy bodies, so there was no odor.
It was quite a beautiful patterned effect,
and created an amazing textured surface that looked like a Monet!
Dale had the best viewing of all of us since he was snorkeling (black shape protruding from the water) and didn't have to deal with the surface 'skin' of discarded insect sheaths.
Taking a break on the pontoon, with our patient captain and his assistant. They were the support crew who ferried us and our kayaks to remote locations so we could put more time and effort into surveying for invasives. It made a huge difference.
The wild expanses here are breathtaking - so much unspoiled shoreline, with tons of interesting plants and habitats, and very few boats to disturb the tranquility.
I love the patterns the floating, ribbony leaves of Sparganium fluctuans (floating bur-reed) make on the water's surface - different and intriguing every time.
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