Turtles on the move

(Very) light rain falling this morning 2/100ths inch. I decided to go finish some projects in the Woods when the ticks might be not as active. I entered via the NW entrance by Rudy's and took a saw. I hiked into Hackberry Alley and cut through a broken tree top partly blocking the trail there. The previous three days we had had strong winds and some old dead tree tops had fallen. The cottonwood cluster along the dry wash levee had the largest. I walked most of the trails to see what new things there were to see. I found two three-toed box turtles moving around.. one in the drainage below the dam; one along the northward extension of the Dune trail.

The acres of water spread across the southwest Woods had abruptly dried up except for the deepest part now a small pool a few inches deep and maybe a meter or two in diameter. All the life in the previous broad wetland was either concentrated in that small pool or stranded dormant or dead in the soft drying muddy forest.
I cleared three logs/ trees blocking the drainage out of the Woods.
Walking the trails, the paint blazes were good because the understory herbaceous layer had grown so abundantly it had almost re-covered the trail. Still it was never difficult to follow the trail.
Time to work with a student and measure all the trails off in marked 50 meter increments with yellow heavy duty tent stakes, or some other numbered markers at each interval. Then start a more detailed trail guide with information about interesting features of particular trees, unusual vines, plants, game trails etc.

I cleared some more of the new connector trail along the west side of the wash between the E-W Fence Line trail and the Trans OWP trail.

No deer, no deer tracks. Armadillos had been digging in the soft wet soil along the trails. There were bright scarlet small gasteromycete earth cups out in several places. Some tall straight trees along the Northern Loop puzzled me: compound leaves with rounded leaflets..like locust but bark wasn't right(?) like coffee tree but compound leaves were too small(?) nearby was tall catalpa (unusual for OWP). Have to get Wayne to walk around with me again or Bruce.

Saw no insects, dragonflies, mosquitoes, crane flies, butterflies etc..