Here Fishy Fishy

Yesterday I decided to have a go at fish. Fish are a surprisingly diverse group, with over 150 species having been recorded in Ontario.

I staked out a spot using iNaturalist (I was particularly interested in fish of the genus Etheostoma) not too far from me, grabbed a net, and went.

I caught a fish almost immediately.

Striped Shiner

It took a little bit longer, and some more wading, but I did eventually find a Rainbow Darter, one of the Etheostoma I was hoping for.

I caught another Etheostoma a bit further down the river, a Greenside Darter. It is pretty dull right now, but during breeding season the colour on this species is fantastic.

On the walk back, we noticed a bunch of these oil beetles (Meloe). They are most likely of the species Meloe campanicollis, the Short-winged Blister Beetle.

They are called oil beetles as they secrete this orange substance, which has a very oily texture to it.

I also noticed this little fuzzy thing on oak leaves which have fallen. I have tentatively identified it as Callirhytis lanata, which is a member of the gall wasps.

I'll definitely have to start paying fish more attention!