Tossing Pebbles in the Stream

This blog is my place to sit and toss pebbles into the stream. The stream of Life relentlessly passing before us. We can affect it little. For the most part I just watch it passing and follow the flow. Occasionally, I need to comment on its passing, tossing a pebble at it to enjoy the ripple affect upon Life's surface.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Shad Flies Galore

The Annual invasion of the Shad flies is upon us. Their brief but impressive appearance is upon us.

This is the lowly shad fly that each year rises out of Lake Nipissing. Multipy by the millions.

Shad flies cling to all surfaces in North Bay at the East end of the lake.

For their short duration shop keepers have to sweep them up each morning.

The shadfly's brief life has only one purpose . . . . .reproduction. After some vigorous reproduction activity they die. The shad fly is a source of food for fish, birds and bats. The walleye population in Lake Nipissing is nourished by them. Their appearance each year is a good sign of the health of the lake and Nature in general.

To read more about this lowly fly and its annual invasion visit. http://www.shadfly.com/story.html

7 Comments:

At 8:42 a.m., Anvilcloud said...: Quite impressive. Another of the dubious glories of the north.
At 10:20 a.m., Peggy said...: we have enough problems with the regular old fly here. Got the problem solved around the goat pens now they want to come in the house!
At 10:45 a.m., Anonymous said...: Hi Philip, that second photograph looks as though there is a net hanging down the wall!
The link you have is very interesting, I'll have to share it with my daughter, Andrea when I get home, she is a real bug lover! :o)
I did laugh where it says you should keep your mouth shut and breathe through your nose! Yukkkk!
At 5:42 p.m., Tom said...: I just showed this to Jane... she said if she as night mares tonight expect a comment.. :O)
At 11:05 p.m., Navigator said...: A couple of years ago, I was motoring across Lake Huron on a clear moonlit night, with no wind (hence the motoring rather than the sailing). It was about this time of year and the entire surface of the lake was coated with these flies as far as the eye could see, from horizon to horizon. There were billions of flies and I had to open the front flap on my dodger (a plastic and canvas wind protection add-on on a sailboat) in order to allow the breeze generated by my passing to clear the cockpit of the flies that were attracted to the glow of the instruments. I motored for about 70 miles and there was no break or gap in the fly covered surface during this entire passage.

Lake Huron is a very big lake, more than 23,000 square miles (the size of West Virgina). Imagine how many flies it would take to completely coat a 23,000 square mile area.
At 10:45 a.m., Tom said...: Hi Philip..
The above comment is awesome.. apart from the flies the size of the lake.. It sure must have been a sight to see.
At 3:21 p.m., Janet said...: I know I'LL be having nightmares over the pictures and the Navigator's comment.