Setting Trail Posts and Observing the Woods

Last two or three days I have labelled 85 of the posts I've placed at 50 m intervals along the twenty plus trails in the Woods.. a little over 2.5 miles. Each trail has a two letter abbreviation/ symbol NE, SW, NW, SE, SB, SC etc and the posts placed along the trails go from NE 0, NE 1, NE 2 etc to the end of the trail. Now it will be possible to be specific about where a particular, snail, mushroom, bird, turtle, fern etc.. is observed. I have about 15 more posts to label along some of the shorter trails. Each post has GPS coordinates shown to get an absolute sense of where it is placed. This should facilitate mapping and ultimately, the meter by meter field guide to the Woods I want to create.

This afternoon I found a small snapping turtle (size of my shoe) moving slowly down the Wash. Only one deer seen in the Woods this past week. Maybe they are better able to hide in the summer vegetation.. or maybe they have other places to feed and grow before hunting season. With the good rain recently, the mosquito population has exploded. The low ankle-high vegetation has clouds of them west of the West Pond. The ticks have also exploded. Each day I go the Woods I return with 15-25 ticks on me.. and I find more in the middle of the night that I've missed.

With the chainsaw, I removed the big pecan branch/ trunk, down by the large pecan across the NW entrance trail. Both ponds continue to be quiet. I have not seen any turtles there this summer. By the NE entrance numerous young small mud colored frogs are hopping away into the Woods.

The fungi in the Woods continue to be tremendous.. maybe the best diversity and abundance I've seen there. Spiders for some reason have been suppressed, or at least the number of webs I encounter across the trail has remained low. Some of the pretty yellow asters are blooming now. The trumpet vines along the western fence line are in full bloom. It is peak summer and the Woods are never more alive than now. The soil is damp from gentle rains and it is warm.

In the southeast corner and along the southern border the giant ragweed is growing rank, now 3-5 feet high.

After last summer's brutal heat and drought, surviving trees are having a great growing season this year.
Where trees have died, there are conspicuous light gaps in the forest shade where scores of butterflies.. hackberry emperors and others gather and bask on tree trunks. I wonder if the hackberry emperors have done so well this year because their host trees' foliage was stressed from last year and lacking chemical protection.

So Much Life

After three weeks away in Panama and North Carolina, I returned to the Woods to see what had happened. After a mild warm dry May, the Woods received a 1.3 inch rain Tuesday the 29th. I put on my water/ mud shoes and entered the Woods via the SW Gate at 9:45 AM. It was a cool 69F and overcast.. delightful. By the 150m post there were small pools of standing water. The first pools had several earthworms either drowned or swimming. I pulled out the largest and tossed to drier ground. The effect of this flooding run-off water on earthworm populations fascinates me. The unpredictability of the floods -they are not a regular part of the previous disturbance regime - likely means that populations of soil invertebrates such as worms are not well adapted and experience higher mortality from inundation. The worm species are largely introduced and themselves not part of the community that existed there 150-200 years prior.

At 200 m I came to an open sun gap where elm canopies were recently killed by Ophiostoma elm disease. There were a score of nymphalids there basking on the wet soil.. hackberry emperors, Polygonia question marks or commas,lycaenids, red admirals and others. I should have regular observations on the butterfly fauna in the Woods: species, timing, numbers host association etc. Many are associated with hackberry. I observed repeatedly today the lower branches of hackberry are defoliated.. and it begs the question how did this great population come to be.. a mass migration or a home grown population?

Tops of elms killed last summer are snapping in storm winds and coming down. The winds also brought down another small crop of bright green ash seeds. Now no sign of seedlings surviving from early summer massive ash seed production.

Great fungi all through the Woods with the rain, Auricularia ear fungus, Sarcoscypha coccinea scarlet elf cup, orange chantrelle-like, groups of Mycena-like small brown-tan agarics. Should start a dried collection from the Woods.

Lots of isopods everywhere.. some clustered on tops of broken stumps where they climbed to escape the floodwaters two nights previous.

Along Hackberry Alley two large active Carabids: bright green Calosoma scrutator the fiery searcher, and black Calosoma sayi???.. plus some mosquitoes there.

East pond down to 1.8 ft. Green horntail sphinx moth caterpillar was loaded with ~50 white parasitoid wasp eggs all over it.. and one large nymphal pentatomid with its beak extended, feeding on one of the parasitoid eggs or maybe feeding from the caterpillar. Watching from a 5-10 cm distance was a very small black (hyper?)parasitoid, size of a pteromalid(?).

Along the east grassy side of the tree loop I heard a sudden rustling and saw 20 feet away a pack of 4 young armadillos.. pink tails, pink brown noses, funny small elliptical rabbit ears up. They came nosing and foraging along the moist ground toward me. Three actually came to my feet and sniffed and explored my wet muddy shoes. Then one jumped and they all ran away - about 4-5 feet and started foraging again. How do these animals survive against larger predators?

By tree #85 on tree loop in a sunny grassy patch, there were hundreds of early instar hoppers feasting. Some of the trees I declared dead for having no leaves at end of April #22 pecan, #37 coffee tree.. now have stump sprouts or bunches of stem leaves from roots.. last gasp desperation crop ? or new life ? we'll see.

By Elm Bridge, water is flowing slowly. I found a group of 40-50 culicid larve.. and three large diving beetles.

At Barney's Jct. a large sharpshin (or Cooper's) flew east through the understory. Overhead a 100 feet west a red shouldered hawk was calling/ crying.

I should note the succession or phenology of weed species in the Woods.

West pond had a single night heron sitting on the depth post. I passed by and did not disturb. The trail southwest towards the Main SW trail was wet underfoot and grassy through the sedge. I am sure it was loaded with ticks. I removed > 50 later at home.

Tony and I returned Saturday to clear several larger blowdowns blocking the trail in 4-5 places and found a box turtle along the Tree Loop. No deer seen for the last 2-3 visits to the Woods.

Turtles, Ticks and a Flutter of Butterflies

Out to the Woods this Saturday morning at 9, through the NE Gate. Determined to walk and check some of the trails I seldom get to (North Rim and Southeast Trails). I walked the east leg of the Tree Loop. It is quite grown up in understory grasses and shrubs. I thought I should get a mower/ trimmer, clear the path again.. but then I found a 3 toed box turtle almost hidden in the luxurious vegetation and thought.. few folks here in the summer.. I will not be in the Woods often because of ticks.. may be best to let summer be the time for natural growth to regain and restore the natural cover.. let turtles and rabbits not encounter humans on cleared paths.
If I clear down trees across the trail and cut back briars and poison ivy, it may be best to let the Woods be as they are until autumn. I picked a few dozen mid sized ticks off my legs after walking through grassy sections of the trail.

It has been quite hot (mid 90's for several days now, April/ early May is too early for that). The Woods have grown very well.. thick green canopy and little visibility through the trees. Still the same dead 7 numbered trees on the Loop. I will replace with new selections.

I hopped across Island Crossing (water at pool there, was muddy like it was being stirred) - no water flowing. Water in wash had retreated at Elm Bridge to about 10 feet upstream.. no flow.

I walked the North Rim.. very overgrown.. but trail still easy to follow.. no barriers, vines, or blockages. At the west end the West Pond was at 2.20 ft. depth.. no turtles or other big animal life visible in the pond. The new West Trail still in good shape.. although wet/ muddy and could use those stepping stones. I shifted the south 70-100 m of the West Trail to connect to the Main SW trail at 150 m post... blue flags on the stretch of route moved. I'll keep it temporary for now and see if it continues to feel like an improvement.

Along the Main SW trail by Dragonfly corner there were scores to hundreds of butterflies - Hackberry Emperors and a few Painted Ladies.. like a Disney movie, as I walked along, clouds took flight.. maybe the second greatest natural density of butterflies I've seen. It was warm, still and at 11 o'clock a good large sunny spot. On the east side of that, a couple of elms have the fading foliage of Ophiostoma elm disease. It will be interesting to see how it progresses and what other trees succumb. The persimmons have dropped their cream white flowers to the forest floor. The bright chartreuse carpets of ash seeds cover and color the forest floor - marvelous.

No deer seen last two trips and somewhat surprisingly, few cobwebs across the trail. Mosquitoes are not bad.

I walked east and crossed over the West Dune trail.. stopping to clear a few remaining Cnidoscolus bull nettle. I'd like to eliminate that one small patch of plants. I walked out of the Woods along the Service Rd. past the Ragweed Delta to the SE Trail and took it north, renewing the pink paint blazes there.

Twilight Woods

This evening I entered the Woods at 8 PM through the curtain of sweet honeysuckle bloom aroma and soft humid warmth at the SW Gate. The trail was dry but soft underfoot. There were no pools of standing water or muddy patches remaining. A hundred yards in, the most remarkable thing this evening were the thousands upon thousands of long rounded green ash seeds covering the ground. Beneath the most prolific trees they were a thick layer of bright chartreuse green. They looked to have all fallen in the past week. Among them were the smaller rounded green cotyledons of unknown species. I walked the Main SW Trail to the Beaver Dam. Three turkey vultures have returned to the Buzzard's Roost there above the southside of the dam in an old elm tree. The forest is so much more green and fully leafed out than 3-4 weeks ago. It must be full leaf out now. From the beaver dam I trekked north to Tall Stump, then SW back to the Grandfather tree and continued across the W Dune trail.. stopping to cut away the half dozen bull nettle growing there.. then west past Two Friends where there seemed to be some major changes with fall of massive trunks.. but the evening light was growing dim..then back out towards the last golden patches of western post sunset light shining through the trees. The mosquitoes are increasing but not bad yet. I used a couple quick shots of Deet to keep them away. Returning home I found five ticks (so far).

Moonlight Walk Dogs

Been a while since I have been in the Woods so I decided to go for a walk as night was falling. At 8:30, with a bright gibbous moon high in the dusk sky, I came to the NE Gate. There were two large dragonflies patrolling there which I took to be a good sign - hope that mosquitoes might be in check with adult predators developed and ready to go. At the gate there was the soft sweet fragrance of the old privet blooms.. mostly gone now.. but still attracting moths. In the gathering dark the trail was familiar, if dim, and looked in good shape, although perhaps a bit overgrown. I walked along the escarpment and heard barred owls calling from the big walnut. Then I dropped to the Elm Bridge where I was surprised by the barking, close-at-hand of dogs, maybe 50 feet downstream. They sounded ferocious and charging toward me in the dark - tangentially. I ran towards them shouting and they ran away south. Not good for them to be there. Impact on rabbits, skunks, voles, mice, all manner of small game. The Elm Bridge had water at the crossing.. not sure if it was flowing. I walked the loop out the EW Fence line trail to Hackbery Alley, put down the broken tree across the Alley and on to the East Pond, back out the Northern Loop.. by then too dark to see much; but could stay with the trail across Island Crossing up Pipeline and back out the gate. Now I want to return in the early morning light to see what I missed.

Tornadic Spring and New Life in the Woods

April 13 Norman had a tornado tear across town at 4 PM. It brought 0.3 inch rain to my backyard. Last night there was an additional 0.55 inch rain. Mesonet says total 0.99 inch rain in the past three days. I went to the NW entrance 10:45 to see if the last week of strong winds had brought down any trees in the Woods.
The entry is sweet with odor of invasives, multiflora rose, now in full bloom, and Japanese honeysuckle, just starting.
The W. Pond had 2.52 ft of depth and the E. Pond was at 3.3 ft. No turtles visible in either.
Pair of Canada geese continue nesting WSW of W. Pond. First saw them there April 7 with Paul and Claire. At the north end of the W Pond from the galled trunk of the mulberry, a graveled path or one with stepping stones would be good, 15-20 feet to edge of sedge border of pond. White daisies in bloom there along the main trail.
Barred owl was calling at noon along the Main SW trail. There was a strange bright small heron (yellow-crowned night heron maybe) wading slowly along the WNW side of the flooded Ragweed Delta. The bird was gray with yellow cheek stripe and same color head stripe with longer crest feathers extending from the topknot backward. The legs were red (problem), beak black, with a black hood extending down along the back of the neck.
I walked from the E Pond along the Northern Loop to Island Crossing.. water flowing well there.. skipped across.. up to the Tree Loop. It looks like #24 and #37 hawthorn & coffee tree sapling, respectively, are definitely dead. # 22 cored pecan is prob dead #85, biggest walnut on Tree Loop is alive to the south but the north and central crown are looking moribund. Big walnut #171 just off Tree Loop looks almost entirely dead. Just two small clusters of stem leaves along the lower trunk. Interesting to see if there is any chance of recovery.
At Elm Bridge, cut or find a second log, same size as bridge log or slightly smaller diameter and fix it (lash) to small elms on either side of the Wash as a handrail.
Down Southeast Trail, 1st boxelder down across trail, there was a box turtle.. and on the upper dead trunk a good full growth of Auricularia fungi. At second down boxelder there was an old bleached box turtle shell.
The tipulid crane fly numbers seem to have finally dropped way off and surprisingly no mosquitoes .. except maybe along the West Trail as I was leaving. Cold front arrived last night with rain may have slowed them down. Trail needs new pink and blue paint.
At the Beaver Dam, water was flowing well out from the Woods.
Below the Beaver Dam I encountered a doe and two newish fawns.. perhaps the same I had seen a week ago, same location.
West of the Grandfather tree an old dead persimmon or hackberry(?) covered with Schizophyllum commune, split gill fungus, stood out white in the shaded understory along the water of the Main SW trail.
Over at Dragonfly Corner there was another larger doe and two older yearlings (two year olds?) I think this is the trio I most often see. They did not seem alarmed. The young showed their white tails..but then did not run. I waved at them showing my white hands and stood and watched while they stood and watched me. Two or three single bits of cotton with seed of cottonwood(?) landed on me.. early for this.
In the ankle deep water 120 m NE of the SW Gate there was something swimming ahead of me like a small fish or young snake. I did not see it, only a couple swirls of water ahead of me as I waded along. SW Trail had no water from SW Gate to ~85 m at largest green ash #46 at W Trail jct. The damp trail is covered with small green rounded cotyledons of ?? just starting.
Another (small, young) box turtle on the W. trail just south of 100 m post was burrowing along leaving the flattened cleared curling paths through the soft wet mud and leaves that had puzzled me previously.

Troll Under the Elm Bridge

Down by the Elm bridge this evening I saw a large snapping turtle underwater 2-3 m upstream sitting quiet as death. I tickled his front with a twig and no response. He looked dead. I lifted a front foot an inch with a stick and then he moved.. but not much. I hope his stealth strategy results in a good meal of one of the snakes that live along the wash, or some other nutritious meal. Maybe I should transport him to the west pond to dine on crayfish.

The southern Woods are still flooded ankle deep along the Main SW trail from the 0.95 inch rain four days ago; but all the trails in the northern half are fine.. damp but no standing water anywhere. The Lonicera japonica honeysuckle, box elder, green ash and other fast growing plants are in full expansion mode. I'll trim some trail sides with a weed whip. Mercifully, I am not seeing poison ivy along trails.
More of the very late leaf flushing trees (walnut and other) along the tree loop are now putting out very small stem leaves up and down their trunks.. not abundant.. not healthy but maybe enough to survive and recoup if the summer is moderate. Other walnut, pecan and coffee trees flushed good healthy crops of leaves a week to ten days ago.

Lots of deer tracks in the soft damp black soil of the trails.

The two ponds continue to be quiet.. only an occasional insect struggling on the surface. Both coated with films of dust and pollen from the spring.