Armadillo deer and the Woods

Good gentle rain this past several days.. 82/100 inch. I checked the Woods this Sunday afternoon at 430.. no water in the Ponds..but there is water in the Wash. It is dry before the Elm bridge but there are long pools 'upstream'. Interesting phenology now..after the hot dry summer, with the return of rains, some plants are flushing new leaves.. last week of September. Ana reports seeing several turtles in the Woods recently. It is as if life in the Woods was put on hold.. while it was being seriously tested with drought and heat.. killing many trees.. and now with rain, plants are producing new leaves.. getting whatever photosynthate may be possible before autumn/ winter.
I ran into Botany lab group in class with Rybz: Nate, Cassie, Katie and Hilary measuring diameters in tree plots along the Main SW trail near Jct with East West Trail. Good to know classes are using the Woods.
Elephant's foot Elephantopus purple flowers beginning to be produced. White flowered Polygonum also blooming on dry sites.
Need chainsaw to clear overhead broken redbud mess by pit SW along West Dune Trail.
I encountered tree or four deer between the East and West ponds (basin).
I found an armadillo working its way busily.. but without concern, up slope above west pond. A second sighting or second armadillo along the eastern end of the Northern Loop moved off, then continued to forage through the leaf pack a few feet away. Looks like armadillos have dug up a large area near the west end of the Northern Loop.