Wet soaking soggy sweet Woods

(From Sunday 23 April)

Wet soaking soggy Woods this morning. At the NE Gate a fresh, clean, sweet scent of new privet blossoms, opening fresh white and faintly lemon scented. At the SW Gate, a sweeter Japanese Honeysuckle smell with yellow and white tubular flowers all along the southwestern boundary.

A quick sharp half inch rain fell Friday morning, followed by another two thirds of an inch over the next ten hours. It was enough to flood the SW Woods and leave standing water in pools and across large areas, all through the south and southwest of the Woods. Cool fresh temps and bright sunshine and a zillion mosquitoes. Cool enough so that as I walk the paths, they rise up in clouds, but are not quick enough to come up to my head or face. Who eats mosquitoes? Dragonflies? Who else?

There are numerous spider webs freshly spun, just some silver strands in the sunlight across the trails. I think spiders don't like mosquitoes. I think they cut mosquitoes out of their silk.

The great big dead bur oak that has fallen and blocked the Main SW Trail at 100 m is surrounded on all sides by water. I will wait until the pools and forest dries.