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Northern Snakehead invading Pennsylvania rivers

An invasive species called the northern snakehead, also known by the nickname “frankenfish,” is an invasive species from Russia, China, and Korea. Snakeheads are predatory fish that can grow as long as 5 feet in length! They feed on most fish in Pennsylvania, frogs, insects, small birds, and mammals. They also posses an air bladder that allows them to breathe and travel on land. They can survive up to 4 days out of water! The diet of the snakehead interferes with the diet of native fish like American shad and trout, which causes major concern.  A fisherman caught a 28 inch snakehead last week in the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh. This was the first sighting of the snakehead in Western Pennsylvania. However, 81 snakeheads were caught last spring in the Susquehanna River near the Conowingo Dam last spring! They were killed. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that they think the snakehead species was illegally released into Pennsylvania rivers. The goal is to stop the snakeheads before they complete take over the underwater food chain in Pennsylvania rivers.

https://www.pennlive.com/life/2019/10/is-the-invading-frankenfish-continuing-its-spread-across-pennsylvania.html

river of horses

The image above is of a “river” of horses in Ireland. My grandparents own a horse farm in Ireland where they take care of them and train them for races. Multiple of my uncles are jockeys and I would help take care of them every time I visited. horses have always been a large part of my life since I’ve been young.

Mississippi headwaters

Mississippi River near its headwaters in MN


Back in summer 2017 we stopped here on a roadtrip to the northern Rockies. This is along Rt 200 just west of Floodwood, MN. Between here and its headwaters at Lake Itasca the river winds around through lakes and woods.

Fisher Quad Bioretention Area

This small charming roundabout between Fisher Halls and Kamine Hall is modified by Lafayette students to control stormwater. Because our campus locates in the Bushkill Creek watershed, stormwater accumulating on the surface of campus combining with pollutants and sediments will run into Bushkill Creek. The creek will thus be polluted and damaged by stormwater. In 2017, students from our school built this area to alleviate this problem. They carefully chose soil and native plants to increase biodiversity and stormwater infiltration. There are five species of flowers in this area and they have different colors. Red, blue, yellow, orange, all these colors complement each other and constitute a vivid canvas. I found it is so ingenious that these flowers not only aesthetically complement each other but also have specific functions. For example, the Green and Gold flowers in the middle of the picture provide low-growing ground cover, while the orange flower in the back called Butterflies Milkweed attracts butterflies and bees.

 

Lehigh river fish elevator

I found it interesting when I found out that some fish can travel upstream in a way of water steps. A few years ago Easton was given 1.4 million dollars in seeking to improve the new fish elevator. Still, fish find it hard to maneuver up the rapids because the fish are traumatized by the warmer water and the faster unfamiliar rapids which affect their reproducing.

Leh

Lumberville- Raven Rock Bridge

 

This is a picture of the Lumberville- Raven Rock Bridge on the Delaware river. This bridge is about 30 minutes from my house, and is a pedestrian bridge, meaning it does not accommodate vehicles.  Construction for this bridge started in 1853. I find it interesting that it has survived all these years with minimal damage from floods/other weather events.

Riverview Country Club

One of the local country clubs, Riverview Country Club, lies alongside the Delaware River.  As the name suggests, the course feature various views of the Delaware in addition to various water hazards that derive from the Delaware.  While the Delaware River doesn’t serve as a direct hazard for golfers on the course, it contributes to an incredibly pleasant atmosphere.

 

 

 

Grey spotted spiders

If you walk around campus at night, you cannot help but to notice these grey spotted spiders around campus. I see them every night around Pardee and Farinon. If you look above the doors, usually near lightining, you’ll see many of these grey spotted spiders. Personally I hate spider so seeing numerous amounts of them makes my skin crawl. I wonder if these spiders are native to Easton, or are they like the spotted lantern flies around campus? This just makes me realize how much nature there is around campus. You just have to take a second to observe how much life there is around us.

15th anniversary of Susquehanna River flood

15 years ago, in September of 2004, the Susquehanna River flooded three quarters of Pennsylvania, including Easton. The flood was caused by Hurricane Ivan. The water went up to 24 feet, 7 feet higher than the height of the water for it to be considered a flood (17). Pennsylvania had $264 million in property damage due to the flooding.

 

River of Monarchs

These are monarch butterflies. Monarchs are unable to survive cold winters, so they migrate during the fall to southern Mexico. In forests there millions of monarchs will spend the winter before flying back north. Their migration creates a river through the air. It’s a beautiful sight to see and if you’ve never seen it just spend some time on the quad when it is just beginning to get cold. Monarchs have already had several close calls with extinction, so make sure to see them before they’re gone.

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