Friday Field Notes: Mussels, spotted
My new sport is off to the races!
Writer Patrick Dean responded to my freshwater mussels essay by sending me a five-year-old photo of mussels he found while kayaking on the Pearl River, in Mississippi. He also checked with guide Chris Lockhart of Capital City Kayak Adventures who confirmed that the mussels are still present—though, as in the photo he sent above, they seemed to be a favored food of limpkins.
And, as it happens, retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Biologist Paul Hartfield sent me a link to this very helpful guide to Mississippi mussels he helped compile. Even if you’re not in Mississippi, the guide will help you understand the things you should be looking for while trying to classify your mussels: shell shapes and corrugations and other anatomical details.
What I’ve learned is that this new hobby of mine will be no easy task. I guessed this was a paper pondshell. Paul told me, no, it’s a yellow sandshell. All that river mud threw me off, perhaps.
And one other mussel note: yesterday morning, I came across this news report from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, detailing the comeback of mussels in the Apalachicola River.
Found any mussels of your own? Let me know. And as always, if you’ve got Southern nature questions, the mailbag is always open.
Now go enjoy your weekend!
My husband and I took a mussel identification course back in 2014 with TPWD. He's the one who has ended up using it since then, doing some mussel surveys for work. But you might want to reach out to Matt Buckingham here in Texas if you are interested in east Texas mussels. He's been doing some surveys I think partially on his own but also with his employer. He's a well respected naturalist here in east Texas.