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Health & Fitness

Caddisflies: Our Own Underwater Jewelers --- by Katherine Jensen --- Muhlenberg College Class of 2016

Caddisflies can be used to create amazing jewelery

One may not guess right away that one of the Lehigh Valley’s most elegant jewelers lives under water. Caddisflies, or Trichoptera, are exclusively aquatic organisms who spend most of their life cycle as larvae and only about a month as adults-just enough time for the important stuff, to find a mate and reproduce. Their claim to fame is the ability of the larvae to spin silk from modified salivary glands, which is then used to construct nets and cases. Instead of Rumpelstiltskin spinning straw into gold, these little guys make spit into silk. Some may consider turning spit into silk which will then be the glue to their homes an even more impressive skill.

            The origin of the word caddisfly has been thought to come from the words cadaz or cadace (caddys), which in Shakespearean times referred to a ribbon made from a kind of yarn sold by traveling vendors. Known as “cadice men”, these vendors would pin samples of their yarn to their clothing. That practice may have suggested the name for the larvae, who like the vendors, attach bits of leaves and twigs to the outside of their cases. Their silk is really quite the multi-purpose tool.

            Although Valentine’s Day has recently passed, why not consider purchasing a caddisfly creation for your valentine next year? One artist, Hubert Duprat, places caddisflies in an environment provided with gold flakes, sapphires, pearls, rubies, and diamonds, along with semi-precious and precious stones (which include turquoise, coral and lapis lazuli). The larvae then use those lavish materials to build their “homes” indiscriminately, resulting in the creation of completely unique and ornate caddisfly jewelry and crafts. It’s unlikely you will find a more romantic present than that of insect spit fashioned into works of art.

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            However, if you don’t consider insect art to be your thing, don’t despair. Caddisfly larvae are very popular as fish food. Fishermen and women will collect the larvae and lookalike lures to use as bait for trout and other large fish. The Jordan, Little Lehigh, Cedar, Trout and Monocacy creeks of  the valley all host native brook, brown, rainbow and golden rainbow trout populations, so there is plenty of opportunity to bring home some fish with the help of a caddisfly or two. Even more, with about 1,300 species of caddisfly in North America and eight species in the Lehigh Valley, you are sure to find something your fish will fancy. 

             As larvae, caddisflies live in streams and ponds (it’s no wonder then that the Lehigh Valley is a great habitat for them) covered with their portable cases. Larvae are  lauded for their importance as biological indicators used to assess water quality. Different species have different sensitivity levels to pollution, which is what makes them so useful. In general, though, they are pollution sensitive. As such, the larvae prefer higher levels of dissolved oxygen, a neutral pH, and cold water. The waters of the Little Lehigh Creek support a trout hatchery and is a source of water used by the City of Allentown on a daily basis for its residents. With so much importance placed on the creek and its watershed, caddisflies are an excellent tool for monitoring the quality of the water.

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            The adults can be found near those bodies of water in which the larvae live. The adults actually resemble moths, although a much more frail looking version with some differences. A great clue, however, that you’re in the presence of caddisflies is if your porch light seems to be dimming. Just like a child drawn to candy, these caddisflies cannot help but be attracted to the light. Although that might be considered a slight nuisance, it should be considered a rather minor offense in comparison to all of the other creatures that go bump in the night.

            Caddisflies are quite the treat when you think about it. They are innocuous, have little potential as pests, some are extremely important indicators of stream health, and they are capable of spinning together remarkable art pieces if, like any good artist, are simply given the proper materials. How exactly you plan on providing diamonds and rubies for our aquatic friends is another story!



Caddisflies: Our Own Underwater Jewelers by Catherine Jensen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.






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