Out early this Friday morning at 7:30 to dig in water measuring post above the Elm Bridge. Natural deep pool 60 feet above the bridge is usually one of the last areas to hold water in the Wash.. a good spot to monitor changing water depth, flow, availability. It is dry now - good time to get the post in place. The West Pond is also dry. The East Pond is dry, with some moist soil remaining near the post. Today Norman has gone 50 days with less than 1/10th inch of rain.. driest in the state of OK tied with only Watonga. Forecast highs for the next ten days are stuck at 106 F.
While I was digging in the post, Anthony and Pradeep came by.. setting up trees to hold phenology camera. Anthony has cleared some small trees near tree 123 the second largest cottonwood, to facilitate camera placement in tall pecan #120(?).
It is too hot and dry even for the ticks. I collected only one on my ankle.
The heat and drought is opening some of the trails. The Lonicera, Symphoricarpos and other trailside vegetation are withering. I found one older whitetailed doe at the NW Pond's entrance. She gave me a white tail flag but then walked only slowly away. The air where she stood smelled strongly of a mammal.
We were startled passing a large broken pecan trunk east of Tall Stump when it collapsed and loudly crashed down a short distance into a juniper. Trees do come down in still air.. a couple years hanging for this broken bole.
Large Catocala underwing moths are on trunks of pecans in the Woods.
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