Monday, 3:23 PM - The vernal pool that connects the upper pond with the swampy area behind the firing range has gotten quite low because of the lack of rain. (Once again, Georgia is under a drought notice.) The shallow water covered in green scum and slime bubbles, the buzz of cicadas and mosquitos, and the stifling humidity give the pond a bog-like atmosphere. One little turtle with slime clinging to his shell decided to climb out of the muck and sun himself on a deeply textured brown driftwood log. Instead of simply taking a pretty picture and confirming what I already know, I decided to do a little research and learn something new about this “green scum”. Duckweed (Lemna spp.) is considered one of the smallest flowing plants, although their tiny white flowers are seldom seen. A closer look at the “muck” revealed it isn’t gross or slimy at all; it is a tiny clover-like leaf called a thallus. It is very high in protein and therefore a favorite food of waterfowl, especially surface-feeding ducks such as mallards, teals, and wood ducks (a few of which I’ve photographed in this very pond). There have even been some efforts to “farm” duckweed for human consumption. The large mats of Duckweed, containing hundreds of thousands of individual thalli, can completely cover ponds and thus choke out any bottom vegetation. A look back at my photo reveal banks along the now receding waters devoid of any vegetation.
I’m not certain if this is the cause of the ‘slime bubbles’, but one source states that Duckweed produces "turions" which sink to the bottom where it produces a tiny bubble of gas which causes it to float to the surface where it forms a new thallus. Walton County, Georgia Source: https://www.nps.gov/miss/learn/nature/duckweed.htm
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