Golden elm leaves, dark forest floor

Storm coming, I went to the Woods at 2:30, the SW gate. The forest was humid, warm, and heavy, mid 70's, a restless wind, thunder rumbling in the distance; low pressure gave the air tension before the storm. All across the darkened forest floor new golden elm leaves glowed in the subdued light. The forest canopy is largely intact.. and mostly green; tattered, senescent, but still there. The first yellow leaves were brought down in this morning's brief storms with 16/100ths inch of rain. Across the Woods, life was mostly still. Two medium sized brown geometrid moths flew as I walked by. I saw one Scincella lateralis ground skink slithering away quickly over the newly damp leaves by the grandfather cottonwood. Crows overhead repeated their alarm calls and small flocks of a half dozen robins flew ahead of me walking along the Northern Loop. Two whitetailed deer skittishly disappeared west downhill from the west side of the Tree Loop as I approached. No turtles today. Maybe later after the storm.
At the Elm Bridge water was flowing in the West Wash; 28 inches deep by the post; up towards the crossing log but not to it. Below Elm Bridge the water flowed out of its main course and spread west.. but none flowed up to the Beaver Dam. No water in the East or West Pond.
Up on high ground, the west side of the Tree Loop, the whole forest floor and on top of the Dune along the Dune trail, the ground is now covered in bright fresh green, first two leaves of something like Stellaria chickweed... too early to identify.. it is almost lush but an inch high or less. Cnidoscolus bull nettle is also on top of the Dune trail. I cut it back and discourage but it persists with new fresh growth. On top of the Dune trail there is also abundant Eupatorium white boneset in flower. Along the Northern Loop immediately south of NL #4 there is a bright red fist-size cluster of Cocculus moonseed berries in tangled vines at the base of a large hackberry. More Cocculus berries bright red woven in with wild grape vines on the fence extending south of the SW Gate.
By the large down pecan log cut through on the E-W Trail there is now a blockage of old tumbled down vines and a medium size log to clear. To the west, an abundant two square meter patch of small Merasmius-like parasol mushrooms are new and growing by EW #2.