ABSTRACT
In January, we take our nets to a no-name stream in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia to do a special kind of benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring-looking for “winter stonefl ies.” Winter stonefl ies have an unusual life cycle. Soon after hatching in early spring, the larvae bury themselves in the streambed. They spend the summer lying dormant in the mud, thereby avoiding problems like overheated streams, low oxygen concentrations, fl uctuating fl ows, and heavy predation. In late November, they emerge, grow quickly for a couple of months, and then lay their eggs in January.
