weed in stream

[gavilan]

I was down in the stream this morning trying to clear the weed ... and came to wonder what causes such stuff to grow ... there is still a lot of water there, so the current is strong ... but bright green weed is growing voraciously with some darker, sludgy green- brown stuff also. ... Anyone know why it grows sometimes and not others? Is it useful/helpful to some creatures?

[Roz]

At first I thought your heading was a statement!

[morlandg]

I was told years ago that green weed growing in running water is a sign that the water is clean.

[country boy]

...or high in nutrients, especially nitrogen, from farm run-offs.

[gavilan]

I would like to believe morlandg and think that 'my' stream comes from some beautifully crystal clear mountain spring ... but I suspect country boy is closer to the truth! However there are frogs, minnows, water skaters ... and a few weeks ago I disturbed a terrapin. I havent seen the water snake so far this year but it might be still too cold for s/he. So polluted with nitrogen or not, some creatures still seem to like it.

[mhic]

It sounds like blanket weed (filamentous algae) the bane of UK Koi keepers. I used to rake two large plastic sacks a week from my pond and I've worked on ponds that had even more. To grow it needs oxygen nitrate or nutrients of some sort and sunlight and I would think that a wild flowing stream in the campo has plenty of all three.
I've used it to line hanging baskets and tried to compost it, after a year I turned the compost heap over and the algae was unaffected in fact once wet it looked just like it did when I raked it out of the pond. I tried to sell it to our local Chinese restaurant but Mr Pang said I was taking the p--s. If you have minnows in the stream the water quality is probably reasonable and the algae gives them a hiding place when the Herons come calling.

Mhic.

[poppylou]

Water snake seen for the first time ever today in the acequia. Do they have a venomous bite?

[Mike.M]

Hi,

Most if not all snakes will take to the water, so best to positively identify. There are a number of poisonous snakes in Spain, which are:

- Seoane’s viper (Vipera seoanei – víbora de Seoane), and I think mostly found in northern Spain

- Asp viper (Vipera aspis – víbora áspid)

- Snub-nosed or Lataste’s viper (Viborade lataste – vibora hocicuda)

- False smooth snake (Macroprotodon cucullatus – culebra de cogulla), and I think only present in the Balearic Islands

- Montpellier Snake (Malpolon monspessulanus – culebra *beep* or de Montpellier), fangs at the back of the mouth so although you get struck, often the fangs don’t engage.

- Viperine Snake (Natrix maura) - culebra viperina, although not venomous, you can feel a nasty sensation in the bitten place and have a severe infection but this is not provoked by the poison but by the dirt in their mouth and teeth.

Regards,

Mike

[gavilan]

It had not occurred to me that the 'water' snake I saw last summer might be venomous ...and I always assume they will only attack if cornered and prefer to go for cover if disturbed ... the one I saw was sunbathing in shallow water and swam fast to the bank and disappeared into the grasses there when I arrived on the scene. Venomous or not I like the fact that creatures enjoy that stream.

[Chunky Monky]

Venomous or not I like the fact that creatures enjoy that stream

To be on the safe side where Marigolds before stroking the snake.