After picking up the kids from school we traveled into Greenwood, SC to hike on the newly discovered (by us) Rock Creek Trail. It wanders along, roughly parallel to Rock Creek in a very developed stretch of town. I had reasons to look forward to the visit. First, it was time out with my kids. Second, it'd be a chance to explore a new stretch of water. Third, numerous bird species and deer inhabited this sliver of forest. Fourth, less than a mile upstream, in an even more urbanized stretch of the same creek, I had found abundant fish life. Cyprinids, darters, and tons of Lepomis types came to net there. But this stretch was a major disappointment. I tried three or four stretches of water, all with likely looking structure, and got near bupkis. I began to have misgivings about the water we were standing in as there was almost no life of any kind. Only two crayfish. Only one, ONE!, immature insect, a dragonfly nymph. Just one salamander. No frogs. Not even cranefly larvae. And no fish observed. Until the very last moment, when I saw something small and obviously fishy pinballing through a short run in a panic. A couple swipes later and I had a 1/2" Lepomis in net. It looked healthy enough. Then I spotted this finny treasure wedged into some vegetation on the bank.
Now this is not the healthiest looking golden shiner one could hope to see, but it wasn't all rigomortised yet and its eye was pretty clear, so I reckon it hadn't been dead too long. I'm thinking maybe a turtle upstream got a shot in on him. I also presume the recent heavy rains washed both these fish downstream to this less hospitable location. I wish that little Lepomis the best of luck. It needs it.
Much more happily, check out the girls in Brightman Creek behind Wesley Commons in Greenwood. If you are a male creek chub or tessellated darter, get your wolf whistles ready,these ladies look hot to trot! (Or, for our more sensitive members, these females appear to be in a most gravid condition and spawning should be presumed imminent.)
I didn't see any signs of nest building though, so maybe Mr. S. atromaculatus isn't in the mood yet. I also finally captured a male Etheostoma olmstedi in complete breeding garb. Not gaudy, like many darter dandies, but impressive all the same. The next generations of tessies looks to be lookers!
The fish weren't as numerous as normal, but so far this spring the numbers of fins in net has proven as inconsistent as the numbers read on the thermometer. That said, I also turned up a couple Notropis chlorocephalus, decent numbers of aquatic nymphs (especially damselfly), larval salamanders, corbicula, and the remains of a mussel I haven't seen in this creek before. Not sure if I've ever seen it before.
My first guess is eastern floater,Pyganodon cataracta. Actually, Eastern lampmussel, Lampsilis radiate, might be a better guess. Any ideas?
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