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The Ripple: Insects of Spring

Before May Flies, Meet the Mayfly Imagine never getting swarmed and bit by mayflies as you revel in the vivacities unleashed by the ubiquitous green fountain of spring. Imagine gardening, or hiking, or simply sitting on a park bench without having to constantly swat and flinch and keep from going mad as the mayflies crawl on your neck and arms and ears, looking for a sweetspot to slice skin and lap blood…. Read More

Category: Contributing Writer, Ecology, Kurt Heidinger Tags: blackflies, Ecology, Hilltowns, Insects, Massachusetts, mayflies, mayfly, Nature, outdoors, Pioneer Valley, Rivers, rivers and streams, western massachusetts

The Ripple: Reassuring Voice of the River

Get Into the Flow Like a Mayfly “Rivers can take this—don’t worry!” said Jason Johnson, who works with Masswildlife’s Caleb Slater to stock our streams with trout and salmon, after hearing me whine about the drought. “Most droughts occur in late summer. The fact that this one is happening as the leaves come out…” I’d worried. “The tree species that are native to our area can handle this. It happened a few… Read More