Snapping turtle, hawk and Megastigmus after the flood

I returned to the Woods this afternoon to see what the flood had done. I disturbed a red shouldered hawk perched low in the forest understory and it flew west.
Entering via the SW Gate I saw water had come up the trail within 25 feet of the entrance and deposited a drift of sticks and floating pecan nuts. The clay and silt had settled out; and the water was a clear honey color. The depth now was mostly just over ankle deep. I walked the Main SW trail to the dam.

East of the grandfather cottonwood I found a young snapping turtle with shell about 30 cm long excluding head and neck. I moved it around with a stick gently for a minute or two until it powered away swimming into the murky water there.
At the dam, water was flowing rapidly eastward, draining from the Woods. There was enough water from the flood so the flow rate should continue for a few days.

No deer today on the south side. I watched a large green dragonfly (Basiaeschna? Anax junius?) ovipositing eggs on a small rotten log at the edge of the water. At the regular dragonfly trio hangout (southeastern most corner of the contiguous sedge stand) there was today just one dragonfly (same 'patriotic' species, Sympetrum ambiguum?). It came and perched on the tip of the stick I was carrying in front of me to clear webs. Along the southern boundary there was a male Libellula lydia whitetail with chalky white abdomen; and a green Erythemis simplicicollis pond hawk.

Emerging from the Woods by the 'blower building' there were hundreds of young brightly colored yellow and black large Schistocerca(?)grasshoppers along the grassy service road. The weather and vegetation there are supporting a bumper crop this year.

I cut and cleared a section of the dead hackberry blocking the main trail.. and noticed there new drowned earthworms in the clear pools of water. I should collect a good many and check if they are native or European.

In the past several weeks there has been some power line right-of-way clearing along the southern boundary trail with many 10-20 cm diameter elms, green ash, burr oak and others cut or trimmed extending 15-20 feet across the fence line into the Woods. There has been much more complete removal of the trees growing in the 20 foot gap between the southern fence line of the Woods and the northern fence line of the existing trash station. One result is a significant increase in sunlight along the southern boundary trail changing its character somewhat. It will now support growth of more vines honey suckle, poison ivy etc.. inside the Woods.

As I was looking at some of the cut trees a large jet black Megastigmus wasp with yellow head and forelegs and 12 cm ovipositor flew in and perched on the underside of a dogwood leaf near some fresh frass caught in spider webs below a boring beetle. I caught the wasp in my hand and admired its beauty and long ovipositor before letting it fly away.