We've just learned that the pulled pork dinner planned for tonight for the benefit of the Cabot church has been postponed for two weeks until July 10th.  We called this morning to reserve take-outs and when we didn't get any response, we called the minister, who told us about it being postponed.  I'll try to remind you about that again closer to the time - after I've checked to be sure they're actually having it.  Sorry about misleading you.  I actually thought it was last going to be last Tuesday, so this is the second time I've been disappointed.  Actually, last week I was confused; this week I'm disappointed.

This morning I received information from Jim Kellogg (Birch Bound Rd.) answering the question about the dead critters in the water.  Here's what Jim told us: 

While up at the lake on Wednesday June 20^th , I saw the exoskeletons of mayflies floating around the edge of the pond. They were Hexagenia limbata commonly called the Big Yellow or Giant Mayfly. What was visible from the shoreline was the remnant exuvia (molt or skin) when they transformed from larval insects to adult flies. It must have been a tremendously large hatch. They hatch generally at twilight, but only live a few hours or days. The females rise from the water and rest in lake side trees and brush while the males swarm above the waters. Shoreline trees are critical habitat for the female mayfly during the pre-courtship ritual. When the males are swarming, the females enter the swarm seeking a mate. It’s the male that makes the selection and a midair connection is made. Once fertilization is complete, the male flies off with hopes of further mating while the female soon after drops to the lake surface and pushes her abdomen in to the water where she can release between 4,000 to 7,000 eggs. The delicate female drifts off and quickly disintegrates from the wave action. Often, she’ll be eaten by a fish while lying on the surface.  It’s during this period when the lake is strewn with bodies that the trout that normally feed in the deep water come to the surface. The males will mate six or more times before dying off as well. The eggs will drift down and after a couple of weeks, tiny nymphs will emerge that will burrow in to the sediment. They need clean, cold well-oxygenated waters and burrow in the shallow littoral zone in silty areas. These mayflies live a larval immature life stage for up to two years before swimming to the surface and flying away briefly as adults.  They are an important food source for fish and crayfish.

Thanks, to Jim for that info.  Jim's contact information is: 

Jim Kellogg – Environmental Scientist

Watershed Management Division

Monitoring, Assessment and Planning Program

Biomonitoring and Aquatic Studies Section

Jeffords Hall – UVM

Burlington, VT

05405

Cell Phone – (802)-249-3370


 Bill and Diane Rossi have visitors - and lots of 'em.  Can you imagine the noise these guys make in the morning when they're waking up?  I'm told they really are unwelcome as you can imagine what a mess this many geese will make on a lawn.  I guess they're here for a while, anyway - and will make the rounds of lawns, getting shooed away only to paddle off to another location.

Just a reminder, too, that Kevin Johnson's baseball guys will be picking up returnables on the Saturday after the 4th.  They'll be around  between 9 a.m. and noon, covering both sides of the pond, so plan to have your cans and bottles ready.