KOTF HOMESCHOOL CLUB

24 students from our club met on May 7 in Roan Mountain Tennessee for our pond study. The pond is on the property of one of our students. We began by discussing ponds and pond life in general. About half of our group think that pond life would be the same in all locations and half believe it will be different. We gathered our water sample from different areas of the pond and looked at it to see if we could see any creatures. It looked pretty clear except for a dead bee and an insect with a long narrow body about 1 ½� long. We then divided into 4 groups, got our group sample and set off to do a closer examination. Everyone got their individual sample and used a magnifying glass to look carefully for any signs of life. Soon we began identifying the tiny specks in the water as the ones pictured and described on our identification guide. The following is the total macroinvertebrates identified:

2 Caddisfly Larvae; 2 Water Fleas; 3 Dragonfly Nymphs; 4 Midge Larvae; 3 Misquito Larvae; 9 Snails; 3 Water Stick Insects ( we were able to identify this in a book by using the drawings and descriptions from the groups).