Fallen Giant

After a week of warm rainy days the skies cleared to partly cloudy today and at noon I ventured in to the NW entrance to the Woods along the Ponds Trail. The forest was full of warmth and thick humidity.. fungus heaven. There were also new spider webs (Micrantha and others) across the trail everywhere. (Interesting to see several webs were rebuilt from my first passing, just past noon, to my exit up the same trail at 4:30 pm.)

Measured big cottonwood in the Big Trees down in ice storm (?) three (?) years ago. At 4.5 feet above the base the circumference was 12 feet 6 inches..150 inches; 47.75 inches diameter. The height of the first three way fork was 34 feet 6 inches. Main straightest top was 80 feet to a broken top 13 inches in circumference. Tallest (left) main canopy branch was 94 feet from base to unbroken top. This is (was) the largest tree in the Woods.

Walked a good circuit: Ponds trail & Trans OWP trail to Bur Oak Bridge then south on the Two Bridge Connector; across Elm Bridge and up the east side of the stream then back across the Elm Bridge and west on E-W Fence Line Trail to Fence Corner, north on Two Pecan Trail and north again on the North Loop back to the East Pond and out via the Ponds Trail.

I cleared a fallen snag and tangle of branches across the path by the ponds, rebuilt the Elm Bridge and cleared vines and branches down across the trail.

No deer, two bright Cicindela sexguttata, two skinks? (not good observations). Surprised to see no turtles. It was perfect for box turtles today.. wet and warm everywhere. Gambusia in East Pond and by Elm Bridge (40+ there). Lots and lots of isopods everywhere.

All through the Woods there was evidence of washing or flooding mostly just flows of water from rain in the Woods.. deposits of sand, trail swept clear of natural litter. Will have had significant impact on forest microarthropod community. Interesting to watch it swing back into equilibrium.

Trailside needs clearing of small regrowth all along length with mower & loppers in fall.

Nine (small seed) ticks on me. Few adult mosquitoes after DEET.