Monday afternoon I returned to the Woods southwest gate to re-mark trail blazes through the southern section. Trails had been inaccessible here with recurring flood water. From the South Boundary Trail, I crossed the dune and beaver dam. Looking down along the drainage from the North South Trail, one tree stood out like a burnt orange flame in the bare forest. A young Bradford Pear. Standing eighteen feet high, the top half foot's leaves were gray black, killed in the recent sharp 14F cold snap. The rest of the tree was a beautiful rich orange, the only tree with full leaves remaining along the drainage.
I walked north to the East West Trail and spotted tufts of white fur 75 feet west of the broken elm. Then I saw the rumen, the dark grassy green stomach mass of a deer. A deer had been killed and predators had consumed the carcass leaving patches of white fur, a bit of bloody bone and the rumen of the gut. The rest had been eaten or hauled away to another place. I imagine the pack of coyotes that occasionally visit the northern ravines in the Woods had found a yearling, dragged it down and killed it. Could have been a wild dog pack too, but I have not seen any of those in the Woods for a few years.
South of the Elm Bridge I re-marked the trail leading to the south boundary and spotted two white masses near one of the big cottonwoods. It was two Coprinus mushrooms, just fallen and beginning deliquescence. They looked like Shaggy Mane, Coprinus comatus (although that is not our local spp.) the famously edible mushrooms (when fresh) that will make you sick when consumed with alcohol.
By 5:30 the western horizon was a dramatic deep orange of clouds and I walked the Southern Boundary trail back to the gate.
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Coyotes and crickets
Saturday late afternoon I went to the Southwest Gate of the Woods to enjoy a walk. I took a small bow saw with the intention of clearing a few hanging Ampelopsis raccoon grape vines and small trees fallen across the trail. I walked the South Boundary trail and enjoyed the peaceful silence. A mile north, football fans, perhaps 80,000, gathered for a night game with Iowa.
It was a mild late afternoon. I disturbed one white-tailed buck, north of the big bur oaks. He snorted in alarm, flashed his white tail and trotted north deeper into the Woods where tree crickets were singing. This will likely be the end of the cricket season, and the end of the lives of this generation. Another warm day Sunday with a forecast high of 71 F, then a cold front from Siberia arrives Monday night, with a forecast low of 19 F. The sudden drop may kill the late season songsters.
Clearing a few logs and vines I walked east, and then north to cross at Beaver Dam. At the southern base of the old dune I remembered my close encounter with a barred owl. I have not heard any barred owls in the Woods in the past few weeks. I wonder if they have moved to different woods.
I stopped by the patch of bittersweet I had been battling and thought I could still see green leaves up in the canopy, but in the low light it was impossible to be sure. I puzzled again over the remarkable flush of new fresh green leaves of scattered red elms and box elder in the under story south of the East West trail. What could be going on there? If we hit 19 F Monday night I imagine these leaves will all die and be left hanging black on the trees.
At Elm Bridge there was still a good wide channel of water backed up to Island Crossing. This evening it was still. By Tuesday it will be iced over and I wondered if it would be thick and strong enough to walk or skate on - probably not. I enjoyed a moment there at 5:40 PM watching the full moon rising in the eastern sky. The sun had set, leaving a golden gloaming of all the western horizon through the branches of the trees.
As I turned to make my way back across the Woods I heard a lone coyote howl off in the distance, probably south along Jenkins Rd. Silence followed for two or three minutes then it was answered by a chorus of other coyotes joined in singing their up and down calliope of sound.
Nice farewell to the Woods for the evening.
It was a mild late afternoon. I disturbed one white-tailed buck, north of the big bur oaks. He snorted in alarm, flashed his white tail and trotted north deeper into the Woods where tree crickets were singing. This will likely be the end of the cricket season, and the end of the lives of this generation. Another warm day Sunday with a forecast high of 71 F, then a cold front from Siberia arrives Monday night, with a forecast low of 19 F. The sudden drop may kill the late season songsters.
Clearing a few logs and vines I walked east, and then north to cross at Beaver Dam. At the southern base of the old dune I remembered my close encounter with a barred owl. I have not heard any barred owls in the Woods in the past few weeks. I wonder if they have moved to different woods.
I stopped by the patch of bittersweet I had been battling and thought I could still see green leaves up in the canopy, but in the low light it was impossible to be sure. I puzzled again over the remarkable flush of new fresh green leaves of scattered red elms and box elder in the under story south of the East West trail. What could be going on there? If we hit 19 F Monday night I imagine these leaves will all die and be left hanging black on the trees.
At Elm Bridge there was still a good wide channel of water backed up to Island Crossing. This evening it was still. By Tuesday it will be iced over and I wondered if it would be thick and strong enough to walk or skate on - probably not. I enjoyed a moment there at 5:40 PM watching the full moon rising in the eastern sky. The sun had set, leaving a golden gloaming of all the western horizon through the branches of the trees.
As I turned to make my way back across the Woods I heard a lone coyote howl off in the distance, probably south along Jenkins Rd. Silence followed for two or three minutes then it was answered by a chorus of other coyotes joined in singing their up and down calliope of sound.
Nice farewell to the Woods for the evening.
Monday, November 4, 2019
November weeds and swingblade
Sunday morning was cool and clear. I took my old swing blade to the northeast gate to clear a path to the Tree Loop. The entry to the Tree Loop has had the entire growing season of 2019 to heal some of the damage from the over zealous line crew right of way clearing. Annual weeds have grown waist high and thick enough to obscure the entrance trail. Native Symphoricarpos coralberry or buckbrush and exotic Ligustrum privet have grown in. The steep slope down to the Wash and the trail along it, is now stabilized by shrubs and annual weeds. Down along the Wash, invasive Sorghum Johnsongrass is thick and high and made a bed for two deer. They pressed down the vegetation where they lay but kept a sheltering wall of tall weeds. (Through the Woods there are numerous new small buck scrapes where male whitetail have scraped away the leaf litter and marked the soil to mark their territory).
The northeast section of the Tree Loop has also grown up in panic grass and other grasses. enough to obscure the way. I cleared a path through overgrown areas along the Pipeline Trail and to the top of the Levee Trail.
I noticed fewer than 20% of the leaves of the bur oak and pecan had fallen. The oak leaves were still quite green and healthy. I wonder if this will change quickly now with our recent sharp cold temperatures down into the mid 20's F.
I watched one squirrel out gathering winter food. It looks like the bur oak may have had a mast year for acorns(?) not entirely obvious.
I walked down to the patch of invasive bittersweet and found two more largish older vines, both with green leaves up in the canopy. I pulled them up by the roots. Surprising how many of the vines there are. I keep thinking I have eradicated all the large ones, only to find more.
At the beaver dam the crossing was dry, although Island Crossing was still fairly full.
Around the Woods with cool mild fall temperatures and some good rains the new growth of winter green plants is beginning, grasses and annual forbs both.
The northeast section of the Tree Loop has also grown up in panic grass and other grasses. enough to obscure the way. I cleared a path through overgrown areas along the Pipeline Trail and to the top of the Levee Trail.
I noticed fewer than 20% of the leaves of the bur oak and pecan had fallen. The oak leaves were still quite green and healthy. I wonder if this will change quickly now with our recent sharp cold temperatures down into the mid 20's F.
I watched one squirrel out gathering winter food. It looks like the bur oak may have had a mast year for acorns(?) not entirely obvious.
I walked down to the patch of invasive bittersweet and found two more largish older vines, both with green leaves up in the canopy. I pulled them up by the roots. Surprising how many of the vines there are. I keep thinking I have eradicated all the large ones, only to find more.
At the beaver dam the crossing was dry, although Island Crossing was still fairly full.
Around the Woods with cool mild fall temperatures and some good rains the new growth of winter green plants is beginning, grasses and annual forbs both.
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