Do you know what this is? An egg mass or two? It was attached to a synthetic yellow rope floating beside our dock on Crab Lake. I took the photo on September 11 with a bit of cloud reflection.
Ken Brown
According to Don Sutherland of the Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre, these are the egg masses of a species of caddisfly (Trichoptera) in the family Phryganeidae (Giant Casemaker Caddisflies). There are 24 species of phryganeids in Ontario, but one of the two species in the genus Phryganea (i.e. P. cinerea or P. sayi) is most likely with P. cinerea the most likely – it is widespread and common in the province.
Caddisfly egg strings – Sept. 11, 2016 – Crab Lake – Ken Brown
Close-up of caddisfly egg mass – Ken Brown
