Out this evening for a lovely twilight walk in through the NE Gate. The sky was calm and the air still held the springtime warmth of the day. I crossed over the Wash and paused at the eastern end of the northern ridge trail. I noticed the soft green verdure that has begun to grow in only the past two days, all across the base of the south facing ridge. The almost 80 F of the past three days has the low ground cover honeysuckle across the Woods beginning to open. The raised honeysuckle vines climbing up 2 and 3 feet above the ground have had green leaves out since late January. Standing by the East Pond and looking east, I see the green flush of the taller elms, the first of the trees to begin their season's growth. Although, looking up into the top branches of the Grandfather cottonwood I can see green buds swelling open there too.
With the forecast rain later this week and the warmth of the past 3-4 days, spring is about to let loose.
Ten days ago on Feb 26 Tim and I were measuring and mapping trees and saw (my first) returning turkey vulture of the year. [Thoughts of intensifying a small 100m x 100 m block in the tree loop with identification of every tree over 10 cm DBH.]
Yesterday I sat for a peaceful half hour after dark in the Woods, enjoying the bright gibbous moon and bright Venus and Mars.. and this morning discovered my first tick of the year.
This evening walking in the Woods I also felt the first brush of two bits of gossamer - the first strands of spider silk across a trail.
The Woods are on the cusp of another season of life.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Eventful days of spring
This past few days lots of activity in the Woods. In preparation for Geog/ Zoo 4970 Phenology class I numbered 94 trees on the Tree Tutorial loop from the NE Gate. There were 15 spp. plus a couple of invasive sub trees/ shrubs. Once leaves are out, I hope to add a few more .. maybe a Sapindus soapberry, maybe a green ash, maybe a surprise or two. Tim and I went out Sunday and measured and mapped another 25 trees
In the SW corner at the end of the day I placed four more 22 inch short steel posts: two along the 2 Friends Trail and two along the W. Dune Trail. need one or two more for the SW corner. I placed six more posts from the north end of the new West Trail to near its end. Total trail length about 340 m.
In the Western Wash there was a dead raccoon about 50 feet above the Elm Bridge.. the sort of place where a rabid raccoon might die?
Today, Tuesday Kirsten, Pradeep and I assembled with a dozen phenology students at the NE Gate. Rain or severe weather had been forecast but it was fine after light .08 inch morning rain. Students quickly selected 30 trees per group and gathered first phenological observations for upload to National Phenology Network online. I was happy with the way that the Tree Loop meshed with the exercise.
Today the first of March temperatures were predicted to break 80 F. I think we made it to 77 or so. We all returned to the Tree Loop and second phenological observations were recorded in addition to nine more larger trees for each group from the broader open floodplain Woods.
At the end of the day Pradeep, Kirsten, Ryan, Megan and I drove to a tall sycamore on the northwest fence line. Pradeep climbed well up into the crown and Ryan hauled up a time lapse camera and battery for Pradeep to secure. Good location... great work. Hope for good hourly images of spring coming to the Woods from March 1 onward. Walking there, Pradeep observed around ten deer in the NW Woods split between two different groups.
In the SW corner at the end of the day I placed four more 22 inch short steel posts: two along the 2 Friends Trail and two along the W. Dune Trail. need one or two more for the SW corner. I placed six more posts from the north end of the new West Trail to near its end. Total trail length about 340 m.
In the Western Wash there was a dead raccoon about 50 feet above the Elm Bridge.. the sort of place where a rabid raccoon might die?
Today, Tuesday Kirsten, Pradeep and I assembled with a dozen phenology students at the NE Gate. Rain or severe weather had been forecast but it was fine after light .08 inch morning rain. Students quickly selected 30 trees per group and gathered first phenological observations for upload to National Phenology Network online. I was happy with the way that the Tree Loop meshed with the exercise.
Today the first of March temperatures were predicted to break 80 F. I think we made it to 77 or so. We all returned to the Tree Loop and second phenological observations were recorded in addition to nine more larger trees for each group from the broader open floodplain Woods.
At the end of the day Pradeep, Kirsten, Ryan, Megan and I drove to a tall sycamore on the northwest fence line. Pradeep climbed well up into the crown and Ryan hauled up a time lapse camera and battery for Pradeep to secure. Good location... great work. Hope for good hourly images of spring coming to the Woods from March 1 onward. Walking there, Pradeep observed around ten deer in the NW Woods split between two different groups.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Warm Days Cool Nights - Spring Butterflies
Yesterday I worked on the tree tutorial loop starting at the NE Gate. Pleasant mild day. I saw two big orange fritillaries chasing each other around a big pecan tree and two individual morning cloak butterflies flying through the Woods; a big green-eyed cranefly at the same pecan. Sadly found a dead young snapping turtle at Island Crossing - recently deceased, no reason evident. Three big live leaches still attached together on its underside. In the afternoon, Ron and Bruce helped me confirm many of the trees on the tutorial loop including the fern at the junction with the Pipeline Trail - ebony spleenwort, Asplenium platyneuron. Ron corrected my identification of chickasaw plum and I accept that it probably is hawthorn Crataegus. Published records of the part of the Woods flora include Crataegus viridis. Many of the elms along the loop have opened yellowish brown flowers, particularly the taller trees with the higher branches more exposed to the warming sun. At home 80% of the lilac leaf buds have begun to open and show new green leaves emerging and the first two daffodils are blooming.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Quick check on Spring
10 AM morning visit to the Woods through the SW Gate. This past fortnight we've had abruptly some of the coldest weather of the winter (hi teens, low twenties) then some warming and a few inches of good snow (equal to 0.25 inch water) followed by rapid warming and a 0.1 inch rain. The combination of cold, to prime development, and warmth and water may start spring moving faster.
In the northern third of the Ragweed Delta, bittercress Cardamine was beginning to show its first clusters of small white flowers. The new leaves are edible in spring and I enjoyed a small green snack. On the south end of the Dune Trail, I encountered 3 whitetail - 2 yearlings and one older(?) .. they ran east along the south Boundary and then north on the white trail.
The ponds were full and stable.. East @ 2.75 feet; West @ 2.17 feet. There was water flowing at the Elm Bridge. I should set up a depth gauge above the Elm Bridge along the fence across the stream.
I measured the SW section trails: the Two Friends to Leaning Elm trail (2 posts plus ~ 120 feet to the Elm); and the W Dune trail two posts and a 100 feet to the S Boundary Trail.} One post for the 2 Friends - S Boundary Cutoff. Yellow flags currently mark all measured locations for posts.
I returned to the SW Gate via a route running along Chautauqua I had not established previously.. too often wet underfoot.. blocked with fallen trees and near significant Poison ivy. All that notwithstanding, I think I will go ahead and establish the route, cut the few fallen logs and trim out the near poison ivy. The route connects the northwest to the southwest in a way that no other trail provides. It will be a good route dry Sunday mornings absent the Chautauqua traffic. Found a broken newish shovel (used spring 2010 for setting the herp traps?).
In the northern third of the Ragweed Delta, bittercress Cardamine was beginning to show its first clusters of small white flowers. The new leaves are edible in spring and I enjoyed a small green snack. On the south end of the Dune Trail, I encountered 3 whitetail - 2 yearlings and one older(?) .. they ran east along the south Boundary and then north on the white trail.
The ponds were full and stable.. East @ 2.75 feet; West @ 2.17 feet. There was water flowing at the Elm Bridge. I should set up a depth gauge above the Elm Bridge along the fence across the stream.
I measured the SW section trails: the Two Friends to Leaning Elm trail (2 posts plus ~ 120 feet to the Elm); and the W Dune trail two posts and a 100 feet to the S Boundary Trail.} One post for the 2 Friends - S Boundary Cutoff. Yellow flags currently mark all measured locations for posts.
I returned to the SW Gate via a route running along Chautauqua I had not established previously.. too often wet underfoot.. blocked with fallen trees and near significant Poison ivy. All that notwithstanding, I think I will go ahead and establish the route, cut the few fallen logs and trim out the near poison ivy. The route connects the northwest to the southwest in a way that no other trail provides. It will be a good route dry Sunday mornings absent the Chautauqua traffic. Found a broken newish shovel (used spring 2010 for setting the herp traps?).
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Ice at Elm Bridge
Chilly day today, 23F with a north wind 14 m.p.h. I went to the NE entrance to the Woods at 10. I was curious about the Woods in the cold, after our gentle 0.25 inch rain Thursday 9 Feb. The East Pond was up to 2.71 and West Pond was up to 2.17 - both looking moderately full.
Below the Elm Bridge, the shallow water had frozen in concentric fractal like shapes. A small wren was investigating.
I walked most of the northern trails and did not see deer or fresh tracks. There were older frozen tracks of a dog below the largest main culvert. There were abundant feeding flocks of robins busily flipping leaves over on the forest floor.. and several bright red male cardinals tagging along with the group. East of Hackberry Alley there was a flicker calling and then hammering a tree and a hawk complaining.
I placed two more steel stakes (Barney Jct. Trl.and south Hackberry). I need to find two more for north Hackberry.
I checked species ID on 5-10 more trees from #160 to #200 off trail northwest of the Pipeline Trail.
Except for the birds, it felt like the Woods were locked down tight.. everyone safe in their beds before the approach of the coldest two days and nights of the winter.
Below the Elm Bridge, the shallow water had frozen in concentric fractal like shapes. A small wren was investigating.
I walked most of the northern trails and did not see deer or fresh tracks. There were older frozen tracks of a dog below the largest main culvert. There were abundant feeding flocks of robins busily flipping leaves over on the forest floor.. and several bright red male cardinals tagging along with the group. East of Hackberry Alley there was a flicker calling and then hammering a tree and a hawk complaining.
I placed two more steel stakes (Barney Jct. Trl.and south Hackberry). I need to find two more for north Hackberry.
I checked species ID on 5-10 more trees from #160 to #200 off trail northwest of the Pipeline Trail.
Except for the birds, it felt like the Woods were locked down tight.. everyone safe in their beds before the approach of the coldest two days and nights of the winter.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
I began the day early at the Woods and wound it up at sunset there too. I placed about 35 more of the short steel 50 m trail posts. Now only about five still remain. Then I can start to tag the posts with sequential location information. Seventy plus 50 m segments are marked now, 3.5 km.
The morning at 7:30 was cold (38F) and windy. From the NW entrance I encountered three deer near the big cottonwood with post.. doe and her two yearlings. She did not run fast or far. I think she may have become acclimated to people. Her two yearlings, are more flighty and go bounding away white tails flashing. There was a smell of skunk I must have startled by the West Pond - may belong to the burrows just up the hill. Dead possum on the trail pretty well decimated now.. fur on the trail.
Before sunset I returned to finish another segment and encountered seven or eight deer NE of the East Pond. Cottontail dashing in the eastern woods. Both morning and evening I watched flocks of robins foraging in the dried leaves on the forest floor. I thought how the new conditions of peri-urban ecology would affect the life and experience of an individual robin. Bugs and beetles are there as they have been for centuries..but now in winter, invasive green plants Lonicera honeysuckle and Ligustrum privet provide a different foraging environment. Individuals still experience the prior ecological relationships; but now have layered on top of that, new ecological effects, changed vegetation phenology/ species; flooding from run-off, the din of traffic on busy Highway 9 closeby.
The morning at 7:30 was cold (38F) and windy. From the NW entrance I encountered three deer near the big cottonwood with post.. doe and her two yearlings. She did not run fast or far. I think she may have become acclimated to people. Her two yearlings, are more flighty and go bounding away white tails flashing. There was a smell of skunk I must have startled by the West Pond - may belong to the burrows just up the hill. Dead possum on the trail pretty well decimated now.. fur on the trail.
Before sunset I returned to finish another segment and encountered seven or eight deer NE of the East Pond. Cottontail dashing in the eastern woods. Both morning and evening I watched flocks of robins foraging in the dried leaves on the forest floor. I thought how the new conditions of peri-urban ecology would affect the life and experience of an individual robin. Bugs and beetles are there as they have been for centuries..but now in winter, invasive green plants Lonicera honeysuckle and Ligustrum privet provide a different foraging environment. Individuals still experience the prior ecological relationships; but now have layered on top of that, new ecological effects, changed vegetation phenology/ species; flooding from run-off, the din of traffic on busy Highway 9 closeby.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Soft Soil, Steel Posts, Chilly Day
After Thursday night's 0.2 inch rain, the Main SW Trail had drained clear. It looked as if water had washed up to the lodged leaning ash. I set nine new 22 inch steel stakes at 50 m intervals from the SW Gate to 85 ft. west of the Dam; and seven along the South Boundary Trail to just beyond the G10 post; and one more on the Dune Trail just south of the dune crest.
I rolled up the vinyl rolls for the three eastern-most herp arrays and stored them with the minnow traps on top of the closed buckets.. ready to be deployed.
Three or four white-tailed deer were south of the East Pond. The water level of the East Pond was 2.7 ft and the West Pond was 2.22 ft. Fresh dog tracks along the main SW trail.
Water at Elm Bridge covered the top of the steel stake there; and was flowing gently.
I walked a game trail from the Ponds Entrance through the willows and sedge along Chautauqua.
Cold 45F and windy 18 mph NW day.
I rolled up the vinyl rolls for the three eastern-most herp arrays and stored them with the minnow traps on top of the closed buckets.. ready to be deployed.
Three or four white-tailed deer were south of the East Pond. The water level of the East Pond was 2.7 ft and the West Pond was 2.22 ft. Fresh dog tracks along the main SW trail.
Water at Elm Bridge covered the top of the steel stake there; and was flowing gently.
I walked a game trail from the Ponds Entrance through the willows and sedge along Chautauqua.
Cold 45F and windy 18 mph NW day.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)