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To trout, caddisflies are food. To fly fishermen, caddisflies, or a close imitation, are irresistible lures. But to Kathy Stout, caddisflies thousands of them are "artists" hard at work on a stunning array of natural "beads" that she turn into jewelry. Kathy Stout is mom to three children as well as thousands of "baby caddisflies".
In 1995, Kathy and her husband Ben had this crazy idea! Ben is a biologist who specializes in stream ecosystems. While working on his research, he brought some caddisfly larva into his lab at Wheeling Jesuit University. What started as a research obsession has turned into a marketable hobby a beautiful blending of science and art, business and pleasure.
The caddisfly's case-building behavior that really has Kathy and Ben hooked. The larva hatch from egg masses in the fall. When they emerge from the case as a little larva, they immediately begin to build a protective case around them. The caddisflies live in a case built from sand, stream gravel, tiny sticks, or plant debris. The building material, which varies from species to species, is cemented together by silk the animal spins.
Then, the caddisfly leaves its case and swims to the side of a stream, where it will molt into a winged adult. The tubular cases look like elongated beads. And that's where the jewelry making comes in. The idea was to get the caddisflies to use chosen stones to create their protective cases (cocoons) around their bodies. The second part of the project was to get the caddisflies to build cases made out of colored aquarium gravel. After that the experiment moved into turquoise and other gem stones. When the caddisflies emerge as adults, the luminous cases, in a rainbow of colors, are collected to create beautiful, one of a kind jewelry.
As president of the enterprise, which is known as Wildscape, Kathy now runs the business full-time from home, in her home state of West Virginia. She has been working with caddisflies since 1995. "They are the coolest insects I have ever seen!!!" Kathy says, "They are truly one of Gods greatest gifts to nature." Every year, between January and March, Kathy collects small larvae from West Virginia headwater streams, where they live by the billions, which she transports to her simulated stream. Back home in the simulated stream, the caddisfly larvae eat leaves carefully prepared by Kathy.
Each of the 24 plastic tubs comprising the "stream" contains several hundred caddisfly larvae at work building cases of whatever gemstone designated for that tub. Some tubs contain a single gemstone, while others contain combinations. The stones are polished and ground to the size the insects prefer.
Six months after case-building begins, the caddisflies leave their cases and emerge in August or September as adults. Then the jewelry-making begins. After the cases are collected, they are filled with epoxy to make them strong. Then it is time to combine the cases with beads to produce the finished necklaces and earrings. These luminous cases in a rainbow of colors are collected by Kathy after the caddisfly emerges to create beautiful, one of a kind jewelry. "I like getting into the market end, talking to people and getting them excited about my product," says Kathy. "Each piece is one of a kind." Her latest outlets for the jewelry are fly fishing shops like The Rogue Angler all around the world.
It took Ben and Kathy 3 years of trial and error to develop the simulated stream to raise the caddisfly larva in. The Stout's garage was a caddisfly case lab and factory. They perfected a technique for simulating a stream environment that sustains thousands of the insects. The "stream" is a series of 24 tanks, or plastic tubs, connected with PVC pipe. No cleanser or any types are used only jury-rigged filters made of plastic scrub pads. This "stream" is an exceptional feat.
