Limericks

Here are some goofy limericks that will help you get to know invaders in our waterways. Why not try your hand at coming up with your own creative limerick about an aquatic invader of your choice. The teachers who wrote these rhymes had fun, and you will, too!

 

Think I’ll Stay Awhile

The invader came over by boat.
He thought it a bit remote,
But he had his way
And decided to stay,
And now he can really gloat.

 

Purple on the Rampage

There once was a purple loosestrife.
Into a wetland it gave new life.
Its seeds were dropped.
It couldn't be stopped.
Now would someone please hand me a knife!

 

A Flea that Won’t Flee

Who’d think that a zooplankton creature
With a hook as its dominant feature
And its tiny small size
With some dark black large eyes
Could make trouble for fish tryin’ to eat her.

Seems this fishhook flea’s causin’ some trouble.
Fish wish it would leave on the double
Cuz the barbs on its tail
Make yellow perch want to wail.
Stop eating our food, it’s a struggle!

So how can we stop this invader
From feeding in the lake’s trophic layers?
By inspecting your vessel
Taking off things that settle
And rinsing boats with a high pressure sprayer.

 

Ruffe Waters

There’s a fish known as Eurasian ruffe
In Lake Superior, it’s got the right stuff.
Perch anglers say “Why me?”
This fish is so slimy!
It’s in Lake Huron now_enough is enough

 

Just Like Bella Lagosi

Through the Erie Canal they did come
Due to settlers who seemed kind of dumb,
Changing things over time,
Clearcutting along the shoreline,
Making waters too warm for salmon.

Free of predators, hardly a worry;
Lots of good fish to eat in a hurry;
Eel-like creatures invaded
Eating natives they craved.
Populations exploded in a flurry.

Sea lampreys attach to their host
Making sick, killing thousands they boast.
So many fish creatures
That just want to reach near
The rivers and lakes they like most.

The vampires of the Great Lakes,
They suck blood from the species they face.
Native fish never like ‘em;
They yell “lampreys, take a hike and
Get caught in a barrier, leave this place!

 

Mom and Pop ZM

Once, mom and pop zebra mussel
Had started a really big tussle
When they moved their family
Of one hundred and three
Into a pipe made of rusty metal.

Even though they all clustered low
They impaired the intake water flow.
In came the authority
Who futilely scraped to set free
The two hundreds they had known to grow!

Alas, the growing family struggled
To keep all three hundred huddled.
Some mussels were scraped away
floating to a new place to stay
Where other ZM families cuddled.