A Meadow Above the Lake
Heron Island sits in a freshwater lake. Its high meadow stays above the lake's water. A field team studied eight spots across this meadow during a warm week. They checked each spot for grass, moist soil, and standing water. Standing water means water collected in a pool or pond. One spot could have more than one feature.
Grass covered the meadow, giving small animals places to hide. Beneath two fallen logs, the soil felt damp. Away from those logs, the soil was dry. There were no puddles, pools, or streams in the meadow. The graph shows the team's records.
The team also watched animals without moving or handling them. Grasshoppers chewed grass and hid among the stems. Earthworms were found in the damp soil beneath the logs, but none were found in the dry soil nearby. Minnows swam in the lake below the meadow.
Grasshoppers breathe air and eat plants, including grass. Earthworms eat dead plant material in soil. Their skin must stay moist so they can breathe through it. Minnows are small fish. They take oxygen from water through their gills and eat tiny water-living things. Think about these needs as you decide which animals could make the meadow their home.