The future Woods

One o'clock mid winter afternoon walk in the Woods. Abnormally warm 65F with serious cold winter storm coming within 48 hours. I entered via the NE Gate, Tree trail and Pipeline trail. The Woods were unusually quiet, no birds. I wonder if they know the storm is coming (likely snow and ice Saturday) and they have mostly moved south or gone elsewhere to find shelter. Last week there were hundreds of robins. Today, none. I walked to the East Pond and noticed scores of small ring ripples from the small fish (all Gambusia?) surfacing. Last two weeks I have twice observed the foraging of a hidden creature, likely a snapping turtle or a red-eared slider - actively foraging on the bottom and sending up a steady volume of bubbles, methane gas from the anoxic or low oxygen decomposition there. The pond today did not have the bubbles, but was one half covered with the light oil sheen of anoxic decomposition.
  I returned to the site of my battle with the oriental bittersweet invader and was happy to not see any green shoots. I am sure that battle is not over yet.. but it definitely is heading in the right direction.
  I kept thinking as I walked today that this was/ is a degraded Woods. Years ago when I first walked here there were fox, common raccoons, rare bobcats, skunks, rabbits (common), owls (common), coyotes, armadillos, white tail deer, wood rats, snapper turtles (unusual) and box turtles (relatively common).
Now these are uncommon or gone. I think the vital link to the wilder lands along the Canadian River has been cut by the construction of the city trash station.
  The Woods are still there. The soil will still be rich in an infinity of microbes and small micro-arthropods, mites, pauropods, symphyla and larger springtails, millipedes, centipedes, beetles etc.
The trees are there, 30 species, some of the largest cottonwoods, green ash, pecans and walnuts in the county.. their roots and their accompanying mycorrhizae. Fungi, mushrooms and lichens are still there. Snails, different ant species and other insects. Succession, competition, disturbance, recovery, mutualisms. They all continue. But the Woods I knew have been altered badly. What remains is senile.
  Invasive species such as bittersweet, Japanese honeysuckle, privet and autumn olive are having a great impact and filling in the best places to grow. The English ivy Hedera I battled years ago is making a 'come-back' in the same place. I cut some more ivy stems today and will try to uproot and cut more ivy.
  These senile Woods may be a superior model for study of our natural earth going forward. We have destroyed or disrupted much of the rich earth we lived with.. but vital processes will continue. Living things will continue. It may be time to start paying attention to this new disrupted world to understand our future.