There are two primary aquatic habitat types that exist on the Asherwood property. Asher Creek that provides a lotic (flowing water) and Wood Duck and Frog Ponds that provide a lentic (standing water) environment. Each of the water bodies provide unique habitats for the inhabitants of the water and will be described separately below.

1. Asher Creek

   Asher Creek is a second order stream with a 1% slope and a watershed area of 4 square miles (2560 acres or 1036 hectares). The stream is approximately 3.23 miles in length (5.19 kilometers) of which 3,891 feet (1,186 meters) flows northwest through Asherwood. Approximately 1/3 of the stream on Asherwood the stream is intermittent while 2/3 is supplied with water that seeps through calcareous fens adjacent to the stream. Land use within the watershed is composed of agriculture, forest and some home sites. It is interesting to note that the stream is divided into three main parts. In the upper reaches of the watershed the land use is predominately agriculture and the stream has been straightened in most of this area. The middle section of the stream flows through forested areas. The lower reaches of the stream flows from the forest into a low flat agricultural area, referred to as Richvalley, where the stream has been extensively altered for drainage purposes. The confluence of Asher Creek and the Wabash River is about 1.5 miles northwest of Asherwood.
   
   Fish Species Recorded for Asher Creek by scientific family

   Minnows (Cyprinidae)

   • bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus)
   • fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas)
   • central stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum)
   • creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus)
   • silverjaw minnow (Ericymba buccata)
   • spotfin shiner (Cyprinella spilopterus)
   • blacknose dace (Rhinichthys atratulus)
   • southern redbelly (Phoxinus erythrogaster)

   Suckers (Catostomidae)

   • white sucker (Catostomus commersoni)

   Catfishes (Ictaluridae)

   • yellow bullhead (Ictalurus natalis)

   Sculpins (Cottidae)

   • mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdi)

   Sunfishes (Centrarchidae)

   • largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)
   • green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)
   • bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

   Perches (Percidae)

   • johnny darter (Etheostoma nigrum)
   • orangethroat darter (Etheostoma spectabile)

2. Wood Duck Pond
   Constructed in 1987 Wood Duck Pond is located in the southeast quarter of Asherwood. It is about 0.6 of an acre and has a maximum depth of 25 feet. The water shed for the pond is about 50 acres and the land use is about half forest and half row-crop agriculture. The water in the pond stays relatively clear except during heavy rains when overland flow of water carries excess sediment from the upland farm fields. There is a tremendous organic matter deposit in the pond each year from leaves of the nearby trees. This makes the pond susceptible to dissolved oxygen depletion and periodic die-off of the fish. The pond is stocked with largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and bluegill (Micropterus macrochirus). Wood Duck Pond and one other farm pond in the watershed of Asher Creek accounts for the accidental occurrence of bass and bluegill in the stream.

3. Frog Pond
   Frog Pond is an approximately 0.1 acre in size with a maximum depth of 4 feet. The watershed is entirely forested and only about 1 acre. There are no fish in Frog Pond by design. This little pond abounds with many species of invertebrates and salamanders, frogs and turtles.