"Something hidden; Go and find it."

Out to the Woods at 9:30 Sunday morning. I drove to the NE Gate to assess the impact of the clearing along the northern boundary. First thing that caught my eye in the Eastern Wash was a long-winged insect fluttering in weak flight. Through binocs it looked like a stonefly..but that would be very unusual. Long body - a nice ant lion, Brachynemurini.
I walked the cleared power right of way westward. Dragonflies sunning themselves there. I should set out Lindgren traps to see beetles and natural enemies attracted. I bet there will be few in the area of junipers, with all the juniper terpenes & volatiles released. Fence has opening between East Wash and West Wash in the middle of the pure stand of junipers. Island Crossing or East Wash access directly through the junipers.
Spider webs across trails are more common, still not abundant. In the west they are pleasantly filled with cotton from Populus cottonwoods. Produces a gossamer effect in the under story.
Woods have dried significantly. Polygonum pink ladies thumb are starting to fill in some of the Main SW Trail and Carex sedges are tall. East Pond depth is 1.72 ft and NW Pond 1.6. Small (cricket?) frog hopping across the broad mud perimeter into East Pond. Two red-eared sliders basking on log in NW pond, one the size of a large soup bowl and one a large coffee cup.
On dry land one small box turtle, size of large coffee cup by bird feeder east of NW Pond.
The Woods have transitioned into full summer mode, sounds muffled by the full green. Canopy leaves now mature green, not light spring green.
I checked on the invasive bittersweet. Still canopy crowns of green leaves (on tall juniper). I found and cut more old big stems of the vine. Lots of under story stems/ leaves.
I check the three invasive Ailanthus trees and break off their new growth. Complex nutty odor of crushed leaves reminds me of odor of green hollow fruits of maypop passion flower back east.
Along Hackberry Alley one branch of a box elder has a Hyphantria fall webworm nest with defoliation of the dozen leaves.
Three canopy coffee trees have been blown over, north of Hackberry Alley. New leafy sprouts are shooting up from roots, interesting. One emerging from top of 2-3 m tall root ball is now 3-4 m tall. Skull of racoon(?) or possum? by westernmost tilted coffee tree. Roots make new protected leanto shelters for vertebrates.
I am reminded of Horace Kephart quoting Rudyard Kipling writing about explorations "Something hidden; Go and find it."