Turtles, Herons, Green Tigers, Old Skulls, Oh my.

Beautiful Sunday morning, I went to the Woods via the NW Entrance about 9:30. Sweet, welcoming perfume with new yellow and white Japanese honeysuckle flowers at the entrance.
The green woods have grown a lot in the past week.
Box elder leafy twigs, fresh greenbrier tendrils, multiflora rose and all the young trail-side trees, pecans, coffee tree, soapberry, sugarberry, walnut, viburnum, dogwood and many others all had extended fresh new growth out into the trail.
Approaching the NW Pond, I was happy to see the yellow-crowned night heron again, resting still-as-a-statue where the new diatoms were found. The pond still continues to the western wetland, closer to Chautauqua, and provides shade & cover for birds to rest. Water level is down some, but it's still good and full.
At East Pond there was so much disturbance/ digging/ tracks in the east end wet mud, I wondered if hogs had gotten into the Woods. More likely coyotes, armadillos and maybe some turtles.
I spotted two box turtles, one at the east end of East Pond, and one on the west side of the gully west of Elm Bridge. Wonder if either are older than me. Lots of soft green new vegetation for turtles to eat today.
Northeast of Elm Bridge I noticed a half dozen black ants (size of small Camponotus carpenter ants) guarding and collecting honey dew from a small patch of aphids on a box elder. Then I saw that they were all over the apical leafy twigs of the six foot tall tree. Larger soldiers were trundling up the stem of the tree too. Something I did startled the six ants I noticed first, and they all jumped into hyperactivity running up and down, searching every corner of each leaf and twig in their four or five inch patch, looking for threats to attack. Looked like someone had produced an alarm pheromone with instant effect. Reminded me of Janzen's acacia ants; but these ants were benefiting only the aphids, at a cost to the box elder. Might be fun to do some studies.
On the East West trail, in a splash of sunlight, there was a flash of emerald, a brilliant green Cicindela sexguttata tiger beetle. As the beetle ran along the trail, a bright yellow and black, bee mimic  assassin / robber fly Laphria zoomed off its sunny perch. I found only one spider web across the trail. I wonder if strong winds past two days had an effect?
All along the trails -  dry and wet - there was substantial digging, like something a dog or coyote would do, small 3-5 inch deep excavations.
At the twin trunk big pecan west of Hackberry Alley, there was an old deer skull with one forked antler attached, someone had brought there to chew. Had some green algae growing in one spot. It had been laying somewhere in the forest for a while. I didn't see or hear any deer, although there were plenty of tracks, and I didn't walk the southern trails down by Beaver Dam (where there is still water). I wonder if coyotes denning in the Woods would mean fewer deer; or if the deer have so much to eat everywhere they don't need to come to the Woods for dinner.
On the Tree Loop a murder of crows was raucously harassing something. I couldn't tell if it was the barred owl or a red-shouldered hawk.
Only showy flowers were the tall white daisies in a couple of locations, although hundreds of Avens Geum were pushing out greenish flowers, before making more burs for my socks. Note to self: bring knee boots to avoid ruining socks for next few weeks.
Brought home a half dozen ticks (that I found). A few mosquitoes buzzing at the NW Pond, but hardly worth mentioning. The Woods are full of life and growth. A marvelous place today.