Multiple Woods Forays

This afternoon, the 2nd I entered the SW gate and cleared a snag that had broken along the South Boundary Trail. I noticed again the 'triple crown', an ash, elm and hackberry all growing from the same point. The ash was maybe 20 inches DBH and a good sized tree. The elm was smaller but still a good sized tree perhaps 14 inches DBH. The Hackberry looked like it had begun growing in the joint between the two trees. It was smaller but probably 20-30 feet high and the diameter of my forearm. Very unusual to have three healthy trees growing together so closely.. sharing the same rooting space, competing for the same light and water. I wonder if mycorrhizae will moderate the competition by sharing resources between the three.

I re-entered the Woods at the west end of the Ponds Trail and slabbed along the base of the slope looking for interesting game trails up slope to mark and clear. Nothing seemed particularly promising except one steep spur. It looked like an old road bed descending to the East Pond. From the floodplain, it rose to a comfortable log seat, a good vantage point to look over the pond and the north woods. I saw one white-tail leaping away... probably one of the regular group of five. There are many very large pecans, hackberries, oaks and other trees along the base of the ridge. It is the greatest concentration of the largest trees in the Woods. Must be shelter from the north storm winds, good soil moisture at base of ridge, winter and spring warmth with south facing slope and not inundated as frequently as the western Woods. I wonder if the growing season is longer at this south slope site.. are leaves green and held a week or two longer there than elsewhere in the Woods or is fall set by changing day length?

New Years Day Claire and Jim joined me for a walk around. We entered via the SW and found the inundation still covering the main trail within a hundred feet of the gate; so took the cutoff to the south past the hollow log. Many small passerines, chickadees, titmice, cardinals, sparrows were busy foraging along the south fence line. The snow still covered about 70-80 % of the Woods but it was a thin blanket with leaves melting through. We rambled through the Woods to the cluster of trees around the largest cottonwood. We thought it could be called the Hogwire Grove after the rusting roll of hogwire there.

Three days after the Christmas blizzard Nick joined me for a tracking session. We saw four or five white-tail deer up on the North Loop. Their tracks were everywhere and revealed the normally secret paths through the Woods. Nick recognized tracks of rabbit, deer, squirrel, coyote (maybe), possum and maybe some other general predator like a coon (or mink??). The tracks showed the animal walking along, then leaping up on a standing tree as if to chase something, then carrying on away.

Good news about the block of fifty acres adjacent to the Woods at the SW, the old Potts dairy farm. The city has just purchased a conservation easement to maintain the land in its current undeveloped state. It will serve as a corridor for wildlife from the Canadian River floodplain.