Science and Habitat Songs

Home on the Pond
by Ruth Johnston
Tune: "Home on the Range"

Oh, give me a home where crustaceans roam
Where tadpoles and insects play.
Where often is heard a call from a bird
Plants and creatures near water will stay.

Chorus:
Home, home on the pond
Where tadpoles and insects play,
Where often is heard a call from a bird
Plants and creatures near water will stay

A bog, swamp, or marsh though they sound rather harsh
Are all types of wetlands, it's true
Beavers gather twigs, make a home strong and big
Near the water, so rippled and blue.

Chorus:
Home, home on the pond
Where tadpoles and insects play,
where often is heard a call from a bird
Plants and creatures near water will stay


Zebra Mussels Have Invaded
by Ruth Johnston
Tune: Hello, Muddah, Hello Faddah
Music from Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours" from La Gioconda
Written for Illinios Sea Grant as a Geography Educator's Network of Indiana board member and participant in the Exotic Aquatics Great Lakes Workshop

Zebra Mussels have invaded
Major problems are created
First discovered at Lake St. Clair
Now you find them in the Great Lakes everywhere.

Clogging water-intake systems
And boat engines - they can't resist 'em!
The native mussel population
Reached a level very near elimination.

Drain and wash and dry your boat
Remove all plants, please take note that those are the treats
That Zebra Mussels like to eat - it makes their meal complete!
Take time to identify them well
Zebra stripes with a clam-like shell
They can be smaller than an inch or more so spotting them's a cinch!

Here's some good news about these critters
Hot tap water gives them jitters
They leave the land of the living
And avoid unwanted gifts that keep on giving!