This is the northeast corner of the county, just south of the Tennessee
line. I drove some back roads to the west to check out streams I haven't
seen for a while. My destination was Brier Fork of the Flint River, the
westernmost tributary to the river. This flows down out of Tennessee and is
home to a Federally Threatened species of darter, the slackwater darter
(Etheostoma boschungi). I've never seen a slackwater. But it's always
fascinated me because they need lands surrounding around their stream to go
through sustained flooding in the spring so that they can lay eggs on the
forest floor and their young begin life on the flooded forest floor, like
many Amazonian fishes. Adults also are known to migrate upstream to suitable
flooded areas. Brier Fork and all of its tributaries are in full flood, and
I found some of the fish collection sites mentioned in a booklet on the fish
published by the Geological Survey of Alabama. I didn't go after fish, but I
did photograph the habitat.
So, it was a fun safari. And it's raining again right now.
--Bruce Stallsmith
Huntsville, AL
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org
</x-flowed>