Sweet Woods

The Woods today were suffused with pockets of sweet odors from honeysuckle, Ligustrum and Eleagnus. Ticks seemed as plentiful as ever; although now there are fewer of the tiny seed ticks, and more of the larger adult size. Recent powerful near tornadic thunderstorm Wednesday the 19th had brought down a few more trees - dead elms and dead branches suspended since the winter ice storms. The trails are in pretty good shape after the inch of sudden rain. The Elm Bridge was thrown down stream two feet and jumbled. Needs to be reset. The SW quarter, predictably has flooded again within about 50 feet of the big burr oak tilted across the trail. Poison ivy despite my best efforts still crops up here and there close to the trail..although there is now not much.
We now have power available along the south boundary, courtesy of helpful Mr Ralph Arnett, Superintendent of the City of Norman Wastewater Treatment Plant, from the blower building via extension cord. This will allow black lighting for moths, beetles and the rest. It will be interesting to see what is there.. a la Jerry Powell.. a mini ATBI all taxa biotic inventory. The south boundary of the Woods opens up to lands extending down to the much larger Canadian River corridor.
Lindsay may begin an intensive collection of carabids via banana slices on trails in different sections of the Woods.. ultimately it would be good to run an insect survey there for a few years and try to get a fairly comprehensive survey of the moths, beetles and miscellaneous other groups by black light. Spotted 2-3 of the bright green Cicindela tiger beetles in sun flecks along the North South Fence Line trail. The ragweed wetland ellipse is now a meter high in new growth. Everything is growing at a terrific rate with the water and warmth. Red clay wash flowed over from the earthmoving / construction along most of the eastern half of the South boundary Trail.