Rich and Green

Forest was deep, green and rich as I returned this May morning.
I stepped in and was immersed in Olivers Woods at its most luxuriant best. It has been weeks I've been away. Some big storms have brought down 4-5 medium size trees I will need the chain saw to clear off the trails.
Recent good 1.2 inch rain has the NW pond filled to 2.55 feet depth and a little blue heron(?) flying away as I entered the green. At 11:30 west side of the NW Pond a barred owl called. I answered. It answered me and then a second (closer) barred owl replied. Don't know why they were calling (or even awake) at that hour. Maybe spring mating season? I wandered towards the E Pond and passed by the beautiful catalpa blossoms strewn on the ground. The air was light with the sweet fragrance.,, Japanese honeysuckle, Ligustrum privet, and catalpa fruity, light, floral delicious fragrance.
  I walked down to the beaver dam and watched reasonable flow draining the Woods.
Returning north I came back to my main task: pulling and cutting invasive oriental bittersweet. I have spent may hours in this smallish spot in 2019 grubbing out bittersweet and today was my first good session in 2020. Many, many spouts of bittersweet.. but no big vines. I think I got the big ones last year. It will take another 2-3 years to clear this patch with continuing effort. Maybe never complete.
  As I set to work there, I found first box turtle of the spring. Did not disturb. After 45 minutes I had done enough and I headed on west.   Two more trees down across the East West trail. Water flowing at a moderate rate at beaver dam, rich tea-colored brown. The Tree Loop looked in good shape. On cream white blooms of privet, orange painted lady nymphalid butterflies. At Island Crossing I disturbed a pretty garter snake basking on a sunny bank, gold and brown. It zoomed into the flowing water and I watched it swim south for 50 feet or more.
  This is the Saturday of OU Graduation weekend. Graduates celebrating and Oliver's Woods is full of life.. all at a time of corona virus death and illness. The lush green along the trailside Symphoricapos deer brush and grasses, young boxelder and soapberry trees 3 feet tall, vines of multiflora rose and greenbrier I trimmed but left to grow so their roots could fill the ground beneath the narrow trail and hold the soil in place. Beautiful rich morning. The Woods are becoming lost to people again. No students, no classes, disturbing the wildlife along the trails. Just the forest growing.