I’ve spent the last several days on Point Clark near Kincardine and it’s been quite a treat to explore the dunes and the shoreline! It seems that this area was replanted with red pines to prevent erosion of the sandy slopes. Although surrounded by agriculture, this little forest retreat feels is quite secluded.
The Mayflies are out and mating, they do a fascinating dance along the shoreline moving up and down. When two lock together, presumably to mate, they fly away from the shore together before releasing each other and returning to the shoreline. It seems that one female is willing to mate with several males.
The sandy shores are difficult to walk along this year. Much of the sand is made up of shattered zebra mussel shells and it cuts at the skin. Also the lake is extremely high! In many places the beach has disappeared entirely below the water level.
This morning as Aimee and I went for a walk, all of the “dancing” mayflies had passed in the night and littered the beach and nearshore areas. Their corpses had piled up from the waves. I was certainly a large amount of biomass that was brought up from the lake and deposited on the shore.
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