Lower Des Plaines Watershed

Where Do Dragonflies Go in the Winter?

August 7, 2020

As summer wanes into autumn and the cooler weather starts to roll in, what happens to the dragonflies that hatched out of our local waterways over the last few months? Well, the answer is a little bit different for each species. These insects (and many more) spend a portion of their lives in the water. Dragonflies are a good indicator of water quality as some species are more tolerant of pollution and others are very intolerant of pollution. Many aquatic…

Fall Leaf Collection Protects Rivers and Streams

August 3, 2020

DesPlaines Watershed

Uncategorized

Leaves are a big topic of research when it comes to water quality issues coming from residential neighborhoods in the fall. Rainwater leaches nutrients from leaves lying in the street, creating a kind of “leaf tea.” The nutrient-rich leaf tea then flows down storm drains and into local streams. The nutrients from leaves, especially phosphorous, cause algal blooms that lower oxygen levels in the stream–less oxygen makes it harder for fish and aquatic insects to live there. The U.S. Geological…

Enrich Your Soil with Fall Leaves and Leaf Mold

July 8, 2020

DesPlaines Watershed

Uncategorized

Leaves, like all organic materials, contain nutrients. The nutrients in leaves hurt our local rivers but help our lawns and gardens. This is because nutrients encourage plant growth. In streams, excess nutrients cause oxygen-depleting algae to grow, which hurts the fish and insects that live there. In your yard, these nutrients are beneficial since they fertilize plants you want to grow, like grass and garden vegetables. When it rains, stormwater draws the nutrients out of the leaves similar to a…

Early Life in the Water: Dragonflies, Mosquitos and Other Flying Insects

June 1, 2020

DesPlaines Watershed

Life in the Watershed

Did You Know…Some Flying Insects Start Their Lives in Water? Many of the insects that live in our streams, lakes, ponds and wetlands are actually the immature stages of flying insects like dragonflies, damselflies, mayflies, midges and of course, mosquitos. These insects spend the first part of their life cycle in the water before becoming flying adults. The length of time this aquatic stage lasts is dependent on the insect. Some dragonflies take 4-5 years to complete this part of…

Healthy Rivers and Streams Have More Than Just Clean Water

June 1, 2020

DesPlaines Watershed

Uncategorized

How healthy is your local stream, lake or pond? Finding the answer requires looking at the three major components of water quality: chemical, physical and biological. Chemical is the one that most people think of when you talk about water quality – how much of a particular pollutant is in the water? But the biology, the critters that live there like fish, insects and mussels, and the physical habitat, like riffles and pools in streams or differing depths in a…