Since the weather forecasters were calling for a relatively warm weekend, we figured it was the perfect time to put on our boots and wade into the water of our new stream. Standing in the cold water and doing the “invertebrate shuffle” we conducted three 1-minute samples of stream invertebrates. The results – drumroll please – were mixed. On the downside, we did not catch the number of invertebrates we needed in order to log the stream’s data in the county database. On the upside, while we saw the common, tolerant invertebrates such as flies and worms, we also saw some invertebrates that are a little more sensitive, like caddisflies. Perhaps our low numbers were simply due to the cold weather and water, and we just needed to get a little deeper in the mud. Only time will tell! Our next survey will be in the spring – we’ll keep you posted!
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Food chains always start with a plant (an autotroph, in ecological terms) which converts sunlight energy into energy that can be used by plants and animals. Plants are the source of energy and nutrients for all animals. As we move up the food chain, we’re looking at animals (heterotrophs) that eat certain plants. Moving further up the food chain we’d see animals that eat the animals that ate the plants. A sample food chain would be: 
Following Atticus combines these two great topics into a very entertaining book. Tom Ryan was the owner and publisher of a small newspaper in Newburyport MA, when he found himself the unexpected owner of a little schnauzer named Max. Tom and Max became each other’s best friends, even though their time together was relatively short. Still mourning the loss of his little friend, Mr. Ryan found his next best friend – Atticus M. Finch (see book cover). 
