A Virtual Tour Along the Dynamic Muddy Creek

Watershield is an aquatic, perennial herb with floating leaves that grows in ponds, lakes, and slow moving streams. 

Watershield is easily recognized by its leaves. They are oval shaped, peltate (the leaf stem attaches to the leaf in the middle of the blade, like a mushroom stalk), with the undersides covered with thick, jelly-like slime.

The flowers of watershield are small and inconspicuous, typical of wind-pollinated plants.

Given its name by its resemblance to a raccoon's tail, this common aquatic plant can be found throughout the refuge, mostly within the quiet waters of lakes, ponds, and slow moving streams.

The fruits of coontail are consumed by waterfowl, which eat the shoots. It also provides cover for young bluegills, perch, largemouth bass, and northern pike, and supports insects that fish and ducklings eat.

Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro- and macroinvertebrates. After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called “detritus”) for many aquatic invertebrates.

Many of the herbaceous plants one will encounter in and along the wetland edges, wetland depressions, and creek channels that dry during summer include the sedges, rushes, and grasses which dominate open areas too wet for woody shrubs and trees to colonize.

These include various rushes (Juncus spp.), sedges (Carex spp.), and grasses like rice cutgrass (Leersia oryzoides) whose seeds are highly desired by migratory waterfowl for their high caloric quality.

A common site along the stream banks of Muddy Creek, great blue lobelia thrives in moist to wet soils and partially shaded environments, including swamp forests, roadside ditches, floodplains, lake margins, and wet prairies.

This native perennial wildflower is one of the most beautiful of the late summer flowers, normally blooming in August and September. Bumblebees are the major pollinators.

Swamp milkweed is a tall, herbaceous moisture-loving perennial, found in sunny openings of swamps, marshes, bogs, fens, and open areas along stream banks and ditches.

The fragrant clusters of flowers range in color from soft mauve to pink to reddish-violet.

Swamp milkweed attracts a profusion of butterflies, especially the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Besides nectaring, the monarch butterfly only lays it eggs on milkweeds.

The federally endangered clubshell is a small to medium size (up to 3 inches long) freshwater mussel. Its shell exterior is yellow to brown with bright green blotchy rays and shell interior is typically white. The shell is wedge shaped and solid, with a pointed and fairly high umbo.

This mussel is found in medium to small rivers and streams and prefers well-oxygenated riffles with coarse sand and gravel and little silt.  The clubshell will bury itself in the bottom substrate to depths of up to four inches. Once settled in, clubshells are long-lived, living up to 50 years. 

The clubshell breeds once in the warmer months of the year, and uses the central stoneroller, striped shiner, logperch, and black-side darter as a host for its developing glochidia.

The wavy-rayed lampmussel is found in smaller, upstream creeks or in downstream areas of larger rivers. The species can be found in sand and gravel bottoms in riffles and rapid waters.

The wavy-rayed lampmussel grows up to 4 inches in length, and is rounded or oval in shape. The shell is fairly thick, and smooth, with yellow to yellow-brown coloration and thin wavy green rays.

Female Lampsilis fasciola have a distinct mantle flap which resembles a minnow or darter. The mimic fish lures its host fish, which chews on the flap and breaks the membrane of the gills. As a result, the fish is infected with glochidia.

The federally endangered snuffbox has a triangular, medium-sized shell. The species is sexually dimorphic, meaning males and females differ in appearance. The shell of the male has a narrow, shallow central depression or groove and the female's shell extends outward at one end. Males can grow to 70 mm with females being considerably smaller.

The snuffbox has a yellow, green or brown shell interrupted with green rays, blotches or chevron-shaped lines. The shell becomes darker and the interruptions less clear with age. The inside of the shell is white.

Snuffbox are "host specific" in that their glochidia can only survive on a specific species of fish, primarily the logperch. If a glochidium attaches to a fish that is not a suitable host species, it will not survive.

The kidneyshell is usually found in small to medium rivers, usually in areas with fairly good flow. In general substrates it inhabits include sand and/or gravel.

The kidneyshell is up to 6 inches) long, elongate, and kidney-shaped. The shell is usually fairly thick, solid and compressed.

The periostracum is smooth, yellow to yellow-brown with broad green interrupted rays. Older specimens tend to be more brown.

The federally endangered northern riffleshell is a small to medium (up to 3 inches long) mussel with a brownish yellow to yellowish green exterior with fine green rays.

The species is sexually dimorphic; male shells are irregular ovate in outline, with a wide shallow sulcus just anterior to the posterior ridge. Female shells are obovate in outline, and greatly expanded post ventrally. The expanded shell shape of the female riffleshell results from shell growth around the expanded marsupial region.

The northern riffleshell is found in a wide variety of streams from large to small. It buries itself in bottoms of firmly packed sand or gravel with its feeding siphons exposed.

DID YOU KNOW? Erie National Wildlife Refuge is the only refuge within the National Wildlife Refuge System that protects northern riffleshell populations.

Federally threatened Rabbitsfoot occur in small to medium-sized steams and some larger rivers and have been reported from depths up to 3 meters. The species prefers bottom substrates that include a mixture of sand and gravel. 

Adults do not typically burrow into sediment, but rather lie horizontally on the surface.  In higher energy habitats with swift currents, rabbitsfoot burrow completely into banks composed of sandy silt.

The periostracum, or external shell surface, is generally smooth and yellowish, greenish or olive in color. The shell becomes darker and yellowish-brown with age, and is usually covered with dark green, or nearly black, chevrons and triangles pointed ventrally. 

Wood frog and spotted salamander are common amphibians in the upland and lowland deciduous forests, and in the mixed hardwood-coniferous forests found across the Seneca Division. These species lay their breed and lay egg masses in ephemeral, vernal pools found in depressions that seasonally fill with water each year.

These pools can occur in vegetated wetlands, red maple swamps, and even in the riparian areas off Muddy and Dead Creeks which fill with annual high waters in the winter and early spring, but become isolated later in the season.

Vernal-pool-dependent amphibians are sensitive to disturbances that can alter water quality or the temperature within vernal pools, which is directly linked to the period of time pools hold water.

One aspect of keeping these amphibians protected within the Muddy Creek basin includes establishing wetland buffers large enough to protect water quality within vernal pools. Another aspect of amphibian conservation includes facilitating forest regeneration in formerly open or agrarian areas to increase canopy cover for the purpose of vernal pool temperature regulation.

DID YOU KNOW? Spotted salamanders have a unique defensive adaptation, where individuals threatened by would-be predators can detach their tail, using it as a distraction while attempting to escape. This process is known as "autotomy". A new tail will regrow over time, and the salamander will get a chance to live another day!

Despite being more commonly found in lakes and larger river habitats (like the French Creek), the Eastern spiny softshell turtle is an uncommon to rare find on the refuge, but does occur on sections of Muddy and Dead Creek with slower-moving waters with sandy or muddy bottoms.

The species are completely aquatic, and are seldom found far from the water's edge, with females leaving water only to deposit eggs.

Males are usually lighter colored and smaller than females, while females have spines along the leading edge of their shell.

Each year, many migratory shorebirds pass through refuge lands from late June through early September on their journey south from Arctic breeding grounds.

These migrations are timed very opportunistically, as water levels in local wetlands reach their annual low during the late summer months. During this time, mudflats on the edges of wetlands and marshes are exposed or made shallow, allowing for increased access to foraging areas for invertebrates.

Some of the species one may come across during these months include the solitary sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) (shown to the right) along with Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes), and Dunlin (Calidris alpina).

Wood duck are one of six species of waterfowl that regularly nest on the Refuge, with another 18 species using the refuge during migration.

Wood duck depend on wetlands, and thrive in the forested wetlands, streamside forests, marshes, and streams found within the Muddy Creek basin.

Wood duck nest primarily in tree cavities which are often hollow areas in living or dead trees, and prefer trees that hang over water or are close to a water source.

Trees with cavities are becoming rarer and rarer with wetland loss and competition from other species, but are quite abundant on the refuge due to the abundance of these features on the landscape.

Wood duck are often a sought-after target during hunting season in the fall and winter due to the brilliant colorful breeding plumage of the males.

Sandhill crane are unmistakable, large birds often found in wetlands around the refuge during the fall.

Since the early 1990's, sandhill crane have become recurring nesters in the Pennsylvania's northwestern and northeastern counties.

Sandhills are ground nesting; obtaining nest materials from whatever vegetation is dominant in the wetland area they chose. The female lays two eggs normally and they hatch in about a month. The young will fledge, or begin to fly, in about 70 days.

Populations have continued to rise since the 1980's, with over 65+ individuals seen on the Refuge over recent years.

Adults possess red crowns with white cheek patches, and reddish-brown to gray bodies (see photo to right). Juvenile cranes have gray/brown crowns, a stouter neck, and mottled gray/reddish-brown bodies.

For those interested in participating in community science efforts to monitor Sandhill Cranes in Pennsylvania, please check out the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Sandhill Crane Survey  here .

There are two species of the Genus Parkesia, or waterthrushes, that can be found within the Muddy Creek basin.

The Northern waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis) is a bird that prefers the cool, dark, wooded eastern hemlock swamps, and is more of a terrestial forager along the mossy hummocks of the forest understory.

Its close cousin, the Louisiana waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla), prefers dense vegetation along the water's edge for nesting, and prefers to forage in actively running water and occasionally amongst leaf litter.

Louisiana waterthrush is a species of concern for the Refuge, as it has experienced declines over the last several decades due to a reduction in suitable habitat, through clearing and channelization of streams, pollution, and the impounding of rivers and streams to create reservoirs. Additionally, because the Louisiana waterthrush is dependent on large areas of continuous forest, this species is also threatened by increasing forest fragmentation.

The two species are somewhat difficult to tell apart, but some key differences include wider "eyebrows" on the Louisiana waterthrush, as well as whiter underparts and less streaking on the throat compared to the Northern waterthrush (shown on the right).

Freshwater mussels are a priority resource of concern on the Refuge, and are very sensitive to water quality issues. Baseline data and trends over time need to be collected in order to monitor water quality within the refuge, and to understand chemical and physical conditions that affect aquatic species (e.g., mussels, fishes).

These data will inform planning and management actions geared towards habitat protection and restoration. Data collected during water quality monitoring can also trigger more in-depth investigations if issues are found and if detected early enough, could trigger corrective actions by the refuge or partners (e.g., EPA).

A number of water quality parameters, known to affect fish and mussel species are measured throughout the stream system and throughout the year. These water quality parameters include: nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, temperature, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, chlorides, dissolved organic carbon, turbidity and suspended sediments. Many of these attributes have been determined by subject matter experts to be potential limiting factors for freshwater stream ecosystems.

The Seneca and Sugar Lake Divisions contain numerous streams and wetlands that support diverse upland and aquatic habitats. Each division of the refuge is subdivided by a series of roads. Water from ditches, seasonal and perennial streams and impoundment outlets pass under these road systems via culverts and bridges.

Unfortunately, some of these crossings may seasonally or permanently limit or prevent passage of aquatic organisms. Passage limitations can isolate aquatic populations and reduce genetic diversity by limiting gene flow within and between systems and can also affect seasonal migrations of resident fish.

With assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Lower Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Office (LGLFWO), these road crossing were assessed in 2014 using a combination of qualitative metrics and quantitative measurements to identify potential passage barriers.

The assessment identified 44 crossings as either seasonally or perennially allowing the passage of aquatic organisms, and rated each regarding their degree of passability (full passage, insignificant barrier, minor barrier, significant barrier, severe barrier). The findings of this assessment have allowed the refuge to prioritize crossings deemed undersized, inadequate, or dilapidated for replacement.

As of 2023, the refuge is seeking to restore passage for aquatic organisms by redesigning two stream road crossings using funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA includes significant investments in natural systems, habitat protections, and wetland restoration for the good of the American people.

The project proposes to design two and implement one climate-resilient stream crossings that will provide aquatic organism passage and will sufficiently pass flood flows from storms of increased magnitude.  The projects will include stream restoration and realignment to enhance public safety and protect vulnerable public utilities and neighboring lands.  

A total of 6.4 river miles will be opened for Eastern Brook trout, northern riffleshell and clubshell mussels, and other threatened aquatic species.  This project leverages an additional $900,000 of Inflation Reduction Act funding allocated to the refuge under the Working Together on a Landscape Conservation Approach for a Climate Resilient Northern Forest project.  It also directly aligns with Restoration and Resilience Goals 1 & 2 of DOI’s Keystone Initiatives.

Round goby are a highly prolific, invasive fish species native to central Eurasia, including the Black and Caspian Seas. They were first detected in the St. Clair River in 1990 and have since spread to all five of the Great Lakes and into the St. Lawrence River.

Round goby were first detected within the French Creek (Upper Allegheny) watershed in 2014, in Lake LeBoeuf and LeBoeuf Creek. They are believed to have entered the watershed via bait bucket transfer, though have not been documented in Muddy Creek as of 2022.

Round goby consume fish eggs, juvenile freshwater mussels, and outcompete mussel’s larval host fish for food and habitat (Bradshaw Wilson et al. 2019).

Due to the threat round goby pose to these diverse aquatic communities, eDNA was used to track population expansion within the watershed.

eDNA retrieved from whole organisms, fragments of tissue, cellular materials, and waste products has allowed refuge staff, and its partners, to detect the rapid expansion of the round goby population without the need to capture organisms through traditional sampling efforts (electrofishing, seining, bottom trawling) which are time-consuming, expensive, and resource-limited.