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  • From: EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Running water that cleanses the soul
  • Date: Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:38:55 -0500

Thanks for the story....and yes, I think I agree with you. I also
believe they are in the water underground, eating the organic matter
that filters through from the surface. I also bet there are small chub
or other critters down there. It makes sense that with no large fish to
predate the crawdads (no bass, for example) they would grow very large.
The one I saw was about 3 inches long, but I do see the giant ones like
you describe down on Rock Creek.

B

sjc wrote:
EarthNSky wrote:
...... My creek runs into it, but at the time I found the crawdad,
even Rock Creek had been dry for a year...so where the heck did
that little fellow come from if not an underground stream?

Good question. When we lived in SW VA, we were above a local creek about 1000 feet or so, and below that, another thousand feet or so to
the New River. There were many springs in the area, one spring
about a quarter mile above the house where we had a springbox and
line that ran to the springhouse attached to the house, so the
outflow from that line ran through the house and excited below it.
Direct overflow from the springbox ran down the hill and came out
beside the house but that gully was dry most of the time, as there
were several splits above it.

But every couple of years there would be a storm and there'd be a
flash flow (fast, scary, 4-foot wall of water that could well have
washed an unwary person right to the New), and it never failed but
that when that happened the boys would bring in a half-dozen or so
giant crawdads (well, giant to us, 6-8" long) which they got crawling
up the banks of the suddenly-filled gully, away from the water. When
the water was down, they'd look and look for more, and we not only
found no big ones, we couldn't find any at all. Never saw one except
for when it was flooding. Never saw one of any size in the
springhouse. We finally concluded they were somewhere underground
in between floods and had gotten washed out in the sudden flow of
water. Wade was about 4 or so, and his question, when we finally
figured it all out "You mean we're drinking crawdad pee in our
water?".

Interesting, though, to contemplate how much/many live things there
are where we don't see them at all.

SJ, snug in her little house while it snows outside, and snows, and

--
"The world is my country, all mankind are my
brethren, and to do good is my religion."
Thomas Paine (1737 - 1809)




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