Trout Are Made of Trees
Part of Circle of Trees
Trout Are Made of Trees by April Pulley Sayre, text copyright 2008. Used with permission by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Read the story dramatically and have fun with the sound effects!
Trout are made of trees.
In fall, trees let go of leaves, which swirl and twirl and slip into streams.
They ride in a rush above rocks and over rapids.
They snag and settle soggily down.
Bacteria feed on the leaves.
Algae grow, softening surfaces.
Next the shredders move in:
Crane flies, caddisflies,
Shrimp, and stoneflies shred leaves.
Rip and snip!
They eat the algae-covered leaves,
which become part of them.
Meanwhile predators are swimming and stalking . . .
Crunch—there go the caddisflies!
Munch—there go the stoneflies!
Now the leaves have become part of the predators.
Trout join in. Swim and snap!
Fins flick. Rush. Zap!
They eat dragonflies, caddisflies, stoneflies, and minnows.
The leaves have now become part of the trout.
Tree shade keeps the stream cool for spawning. Female trout gather over gravel and lay eggs.
The males fertilize the eggs.
Here come the hatchlings!
They grow up in a stream
—Crack! Kersplash!—
shaped by fallen branches.
Trout are made of trees.
So are the bears
and the people
who catch the trout and eat them.