Did you know Raccoon Creek has mussels in it?
A team that included Barbara Williams (volunteer), Zach Grycan and Kyle Hulbert (NLI Staff), Kaleb Baker (Natural Areas Preservation Specialist/IL Nature Preserves Commission), Russ Blogg (Heritage Biologist/IDNR), and Chip O’Leary (Regional Manager/IDNR) went searching for mussels in Raccoon Creek at Lost Flora Fen recently.
Barbara gave us a report on what they found while she was with the group:
- Multiple young White Heelsplitters, most dead, one live, tiny individual
- Several Plain Pocketbooks, both alive and dead,
- Multiple Fatmuckets – several alive and at least six empty shells
- one empty shell of a Creeper
- one live and one dead Fragile Papershell
- at least one live Black Sandshell
- one partial shell from a small Creek Heelsplitter
- one Round Pigtoe (fairly recently deceased, new for LFF and unusual for this area)
- and, (very exciting!) one recently dead shell from a small Wartyback (new county record and new record for Raccoon Creek)
- White Heelsplitter
- We also found a number of shells from Fingernail Clams that included Striated Fingernail Clam and Grooved Fingernail Clam. Both are tiny clams, native to this area.
Photo: Barbara Williams
Pictured kneeling in the creek are front to back: Kyle, Kaleb, Russ, Zach (photos by Barbara Williams) Photos of mussels by Zach Grycan
Photo: Zach Grycan
Photo: Zach Grycan
Photo: Zach Grycan