Regeneration in Water: Aquatic habitat for Yadoriki Stream, early summer 2022

 

In 2019, Kanagawa Prefecture was hit by two monster typhoons, Faxai and Hagibis. Yadoriki Water Source Forest やどりき水源林 met devastation (; my post on November 1, 2019). Yadoriki Stream overflowed, and the feature of the river changed completely. Last year, I reported you we forest instructors found some recovery from the natural disaster in the forest, including water creatures. This year, we’ve found the aquatic lives in Yadoriki Stream seem to have started to thrive!

Just before the Prefecture entered the monsoon season, we donned long boots and collected aquatic organisms from Yadoriki Stream running the Water Source Forest. We had a bumper crop. Here’s a part of what we’ve found:

Lots of lots of tadpoles of Kajika frog.

Three larva amigos of Kamimuria quadrata.

Larva probably for Perissoneura Paradoxa. The gravelito next to it was its under-construction house. They build a “stone” house and spend their childhood with it.

Actually, there were many larvae of Epeorus latifolium. This creature is one of the indicator species for Japanese rivers, defined by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, to measure the level of pollution. When we can find them, the river is VERY clean!

Speaking of the quality of water and indicator species, we’ve found lots of Planarian Flatworms. They cannot survive in polluted water. And they need the water to be cold enough. So, Yadoriki Forest is recovering as a good water source forest!

Oyamia gibba. Hmmmmmmm … it has really impressive “full-body” tattoo …

It has been 3 years since the typhoons destroyed the Water Source Forest. And now, the habitat shows evident recovery. Of course, after the natural disturbance nothing will return as before. And here must be some effect of global warming … Yet, I was a sort of impressed by witnessing suppleness of Mother Nature. Inshallah.

This year,
we’ll have lots of flowers of Alagium platanifolium in Yadoriki.

If you find environmental issues in Kanagawa Prefecture, please make a contact with Kanagawa Natural Environment Conservation Center 神奈川県自然環境保全センター

657 Nanasawa, Atsugi City, 243-0121
〒243－0121　厚木市七沢657
Phone: 046-248-0323

You can send an enquiry to them by clicking the bottom line of their homepage at http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/div/1644/