Nice cool morning low 70's at 9:30. I walked with Bruce, Jenna and Kayti from NE Gate to Elm Bridge, west to Fence Corner, north to Trans OWP, north and around the Northern Loop, south along Hackberry Alley to Tall Stump, south across Beaver Dam and across Dune to South Boundary, west to SW Gate, northeast and east to Cutoff Trail to EW fenceline to Creekside Trail to Northern Loop, across to Pipeline Trail and out again.
Several branches down across trail with lack of regular visits.
Blue common weedy flower = Elephantopsis together with large leaved single tall stem Polygonum on Escarpment trail, red and white Morus mulberry, Verbesina, Eupatorium boneset in white flower, 4 species of grapes etc.. Kayti took a list and Bruce will review.
Discussed establishing a one hectare plot; collecting samples for Bebb Herbarium and for a teaching herbarium (maybe laminated) for ecology students.
I found no ticks (so far) and there were far fewer spiders with cool weather. Tussock moths were skeletonizing leaves of some younger mulberries. No mosquitoes..too cool?
Monday, September 27, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Last of summer: Cloud of butterflies
Been warm.. fairly unrelenting. Nice 2.2 inch rain 10 days ago on the 8th but dry and warm since then.. most days in the low 90's. Now 3-4 days before autumnal equinox I went for a stroll in the Woods one of the last days of summer.. 10:30 am 81 deg F no wind.
At the NE Gate, ranks of Lespedeza were in white bloom. The trail was clear and I stepped along quickly to enter the quiet shield of the Woods and leave behind the traffic noise of a game day along Highway 9.
Late summer blooms of purple common weed, Elephantopsis; and Polygonum very common with tight small white flowers along leafless tall stem above large elliptical leaves. My favorite, Commelina day flower in bloom here and there.
A hundred meters into the Woods at the Pipeline Trail junction the soft heavy humidity damped the sound of cars and I could hear the silvery sounds of tree crickets' constant background trilling... with the loud squawk of a pair of jays flying overhead. Bird life along this trail section is more diverse than elsewhere in the Woods. The woodland border with the open field to the east is good habitat.
Mosquitoes were out in good numbers but with DEET, they were not a serious problem.
At the Elm Bridge the crossing was dry but a long pool stretched from just upstream for a hundred feet or more up the wash. It was perking with life.
I walked west on the Fence Line Trail and then took the Streamside Trail north to the Trans OWP Trail and that to the junction with the Northern Loop. Fair number of small branches down. I cleared from the trail but the trail was in good shape, if a little overgrown out to the East Pond. Lots of webs and I kept my spider stick out in front of me.
Pecans have started to fall abundantly in the NE Woods and leaf fall of elms and some green ash is getting underway. I stood and watched for some minutes as leaves drifted down from the canopy with no wind.
Across the Dune Trail armadillos have been busy burrowing on the north side. Westward along the South Border Trail a pile of gray feathers from a slaughtered dove(?) with a pair of hawks crying overhead (the likely culprits)?
By the SW Gate the sweet smell of Clematis bloom mixed with the odor of old garbage.
North along the Main SW Trail a good sized female Catocala gray underwing moth flitted from one side of a hackberry bole to another to escape me.
There was bright whitewash (owl? heron? other?) north of tree (snag) # 47.
At the Sympetrum perch there was nobody home and the configuration of dragonfly perches looked different as if some had fallen.
East up the Cut Off Trail to Tall Stump. West of Fence Corner a clump of a half dozen 2 meter tall green ash are being skeletonized by a colony of lepidoptera larvae. Eastward on to the Elm Bridge.
North back up the NE Trail just north of the ditch by the old redbud I startled a small cloud of a dozen or more nymphallid(?) butterflies beneath the Eleagnus and looking around spotted the only turtle I saw today. Out through the fence by 12:30. Small tick count eight (so far) on me and clothing.
At the NE Gate, ranks of Lespedeza were in white bloom. The trail was clear and I stepped along quickly to enter the quiet shield of the Woods and leave behind the traffic noise of a game day along Highway 9.
Late summer blooms of purple common weed, Elephantopsis; and Polygonum very common with tight small white flowers along leafless tall stem above large elliptical leaves. My favorite, Commelina day flower in bloom here and there.
A hundred meters into the Woods at the Pipeline Trail junction the soft heavy humidity damped the sound of cars and I could hear the silvery sounds of tree crickets' constant background trilling... with the loud squawk of a pair of jays flying overhead. Bird life along this trail section is more diverse than elsewhere in the Woods. The woodland border with the open field to the east is good habitat.
Mosquitoes were out in good numbers but with DEET, they were not a serious problem.
At the Elm Bridge the crossing was dry but a long pool stretched from just upstream for a hundred feet or more up the wash. It was perking with life.
I walked west on the Fence Line Trail and then took the Streamside Trail north to the Trans OWP Trail and that to the junction with the Northern Loop. Fair number of small branches down. I cleared from the trail but the trail was in good shape, if a little overgrown out to the East Pond. Lots of webs and I kept my spider stick out in front of me.
Pecans have started to fall abundantly in the NE Woods and leaf fall of elms and some green ash is getting underway. I stood and watched for some minutes as leaves drifted down from the canopy with no wind.
Across the Dune Trail armadillos have been busy burrowing on the north side. Westward along the South Border Trail a pile of gray feathers from a slaughtered dove(?) with a pair of hawks crying overhead (the likely culprits)?
By the SW Gate the sweet smell of Clematis bloom mixed with the odor of old garbage.
North along the Main SW Trail a good sized female Catocala gray underwing moth flitted from one side of a hackberry bole to another to escape me.
There was bright whitewash (owl? heron? other?) north of tree (snag) # 47.
At the Sympetrum perch there was nobody home and the configuration of dragonfly perches looked different as if some had fallen.
East up the Cut Off Trail to Tall Stump. West of Fence Corner a clump of a half dozen 2 meter tall green ash are being skeletonized by a colony of lepidoptera larvae. Eastward on to the Elm Bridge.
North back up the NE Trail just north of the ditch by the old redbud I startled a small cloud of a dozen or more nymphallid(?) butterflies beneath the Eleagnus and looking around spotted the only turtle I saw today. Out through the fence by 12:30. Small tick count eight (so far) on me and clothing.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Rain, Relief and Autumn Arrives
Thursday night (2 Sept) we had a gusty powerful thunderstorm blow through Norman and bring > 1 inch of rain and strong 50 mph winds... temp dropped from 97 F at 6:45 to 66 an hour later. This followed on > 0.3 inch the previous day. Today Saturday early morning I went to the SW Gate. All along the fence north of the gate the Clematis was in peak white bloom producing a light sweet fragrance.
Up the Main SW Trail the Woods were fairly dry up to the Sympetrum dragonfly perch. No dragonflies there before the direct morning light. Just beyond to the east the earth along the trail was damp, heavy muddy..but no standing water along the trail. It was obvious where the flow of water had moved up from the dam along the Main SW Trail to the dragonfly perch. Rafts of sticks and leaves were pressed together indicating the direction of the flow.
I walked to the dam and then north along the blue white trail to Tall Stump and north along Hackberry Alley. East on the Trans OWP Trail the Woods did not show signs of flood wash over. At the Elm Bridge, water filled the wash but did not extend downstream from the bridge.
A few large branches had fallen across the trails.
The number of spider webs I encountered was greatly reduced. I wonder if this is just the temporary result of the rain.
One white-tailed deer. Mature full sized green walnuts are beginning to fall. A few large green persimmons had fallen.
Up the Main SW Trail the Woods were fairly dry up to the Sympetrum dragonfly perch. No dragonflies there before the direct morning light. Just beyond to the east the earth along the trail was damp, heavy muddy..but no standing water along the trail. It was obvious where the flow of water had moved up from the dam along the Main SW Trail to the dragonfly perch. Rafts of sticks and leaves were pressed together indicating the direction of the flow.
I walked to the dam and then north along the blue white trail to Tall Stump and north along Hackberry Alley. East on the Trans OWP Trail the Woods did not show signs of flood wash over. At the Elm Bridge, water filled the wash but did not extend downstream from the bridge.
A few large branches had fallen across the trails.
The number of spider webs I encountered was greatly reduced. I wonder if this is just the temporary result of the rain.
One white-tailed deer. Mature full sized green walnuts are beginning to fall. A few large green persimmons had fallen.
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