My morning started out with an intense stomach pain after breakfast. I didn't think much of it and thought it would go away. I stayed close to home and went back to the flood plain I have been working on in the Lehigh Gorge. It was the first time back to the flood plain since the heavy rains and recent flooding.
Before getting to my intended location I did work my way down to then up the bank in a section I had cleaned before the high water. There wasn't a lot of items in this area, there were a few things that aren't found too often. On the left is a bouncy ball, they are found every once and awhile, I think because of their size I don't find them often. On the right is a big floppy hat. I may have found one before, this though is the only one I can remember. Ball caps are much more common.
At first I thought this might be a large cap to a storage compartment on a kayak. After pulling it out of the debris and looking at it, I think it may be a seat/compartment lid to a snowmobile or something along those lines.
A couple of bottles and other small items were only other items I found on the first section of bank. I then headed on to the flood plain. At this point I was really hoping the pain in my stomach was going to be gone soon.
In the plain I stuck to right along the rivers edge. It was interesting to see how much had changed since my last visit. I found cans immediately and I had picked this area clean before. Some may have been pushed down, but for others it was clear that the sediment that had previously covered them had washed away.
In the river I spotted this old tackle box lid. When I picked it up there were two surprises on the bottom. If you look closely or click on the photo on the right you might be able to see two Mayfly larvae. I did not get out an identification key, yet there are a lot of major differences between the two, so I think they are two separate species. Larval Mayflies along with other larval insects can help determine water quality in a river, stream or other water body. Generally, Mayfly larvae are pollution intolerant and will only be found in water bodies with good quality.
I had been out for a couple hours and my stomach wasn't doing any better. My pack was full and I had about half a garbage bag and I thought that was enough for the day. On the way up to the D&L Trail I did find this last piece of the day. I thought it was a good find.
Back at the car I did not feel up to doing a sort of recyclables from non. This will have to be done on the next recycling day. My stomach pain only got worse and later was accompanied by other flu symptoms. That is why this post is a couple days late.
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