Woke on a pleasant 48 F degree Sunday morning in late November. That was the high temperature. The wind was coming.
At 2:30 and 28F I stopped by the Northwest entrance of the Woods for a walk to see what was happening.
The wind was roaring.
I quickly walked down the slope into the lee of the northern slope and entered the relative calm under the trees. The winds were roaring overhead now and I wondered if trees would come down. I came to the NW pond and there stood the tallest great blue heron I think I've ever seen. It stood silently on the far side of the small pond. It colors were great camouflage with the gray and brown stems behind it. It tracked me as I walked past the pond, slowly turning its head. I did not linger or disturb it further.
Walking past the big tilted Carpenter cottonwood, I was glad it had shed its leaves and was standing bare, with less surface area for the wind to tug. Approaching the East Pond there was a burst of life as three white-tailed deer stood and bolted away from the SE side. They disturbed a large barred owl that flew silently from my NW side of the pond.
The Woods are largely bare now except for the incongruous green of the invasive Euonymus heart's a bustin' shrub with its red berries, on the SW shore of the East Pond and south next to the second largest cottonwood #200.
On the south side of the main East West Trail, east of Fence Corner the red elms in the under story have flushed new green leaves, a few weeks old. The under story there looks a bit like April. Odd..
Just south of East Pond, and again west of Elm Bridge, small passerines, wrens and other species were disturbed, flying rapidly around, scolding and chasing each other. I couldn't see a predator. I wondered if they are stressed and hustling to ready themselves for the sudden change in the weather.
The water depth in the NW Pond was 2.49 feet and in the East Pond 2.15 feet. There was still water in the Eastern Wash, and all the way to the Elm Bridge, but it was not flowing, dry from the Elm Bridge southward. Dry at Island Crossing. The NW Pond is covered in a light chocolate mouse brown of old pollen, now shoved up in a wrinkled skin to the eastern shore.
Sunday, November 25, 2018
Monday, November 19, 2018
Cool Twilight
Went for a nice twilight walk at 5:30 from the NE Gate, quickly escaping down the path away from the highway traffic noise and into the sheltering quiet of the trees. Down across the Wash at Elm Bridge, I stopped to look south at the still yellow golden sky with darkness closing. The leaves have recently completely dropped and revealed once again the skeleton of the woods in silhouette. You can't see this during the day. Too much light and too much detail and distraction. But after sunset, with just the black silhouettes of the stems, branches and trunks against the yellow golden sky, you can see the structure of the trees. The way they interact, compete and grow. You could study this for a long time and learn a lot about trees.
Walking north along from the Two Pecan trail there was a barred owl calling. I stopped and gave a screech owl call. The barred owl paused a longer time, as if puzzled, then called again. I answered with the screech owl five or six times looking in the fading twilight out to the larger trees and then thought I saw, farther off, a large bird flying away north. I think my owl didn't know what to make of me.
Walking north along from the Two Pecan trail there was a barred owl calling. I stopped and gave a screech owl call. The barred owl paused a longer time, as if puzzled, then called again. I answered with the screech owl five or six times looking in the fading twilight out to the larger trees and then thought I saw, farther off, a large bird flying away north. I think my owl didn't know what to make of me.
Saturday, November 17, 2018
Brief Glory and Death in the Woods
On a mid November Saturday - a delightful fall day - I went to the NE corner of Oliver's Woods. Supposed to be mid 60's F most of the day and then a drop to near frost with cold front coming at sunset. I entered the Tree Loop and noticed the big yellow orange leaves scattered on the ground beneath the black hickory. Favorite tree in autumn in Oliver's Woods. Its rich butter yellow leaves glow in the understory, a brief glory. Now the last of the fall colors are gone and most of the autumn leaves are down. The Woods are beginning to open up, as they do each fall. You can again see more distant things.
I spot two whitetail does bounding away westward from near Elm Bridge. Along the Tree Loop at the cutoff junction, there is a large 'scrape', a square foot of soil scraped bare by a buck marking the place with his scent. Walking along the Barney cutoff a hundred feet northeast of the patch of bittersweet I discovered the recent remains and entrails of a whitetail a couple of weeks ago. My attention was captured first by abundant tufts of white and brown hair along the trail.. and then the odd grassy off-green of the rumen from the gut of the deer. Maybe an animal shot by a hunter, escaped to the Woods and died; perhaps carcass consumed by coyotes or other scavengers. No sign of the bones left. Perhaps I will find this winter.
In the Woods, I hear flickers calling, cardinals and robins, even warm enough for a lone cricket to sing by the NW Pond. A few other insects are still stirring. At Tall Stump a slow Polistes wasp lands briefly on my jeans and moves on.. likely a queen seeking a good shelter under a chink of bark or in a rotten log where she can pass the winter. In the spring she will emerge and begin laying eggs for her new brood who later will help build or expand her summer's nest. One last Vespula yellow jacket going to ground. Most of these will die before the real winter, leaving just the new queens already inseminated surviving the winter in their hidden shelters.
I roll a few of the rotting logs from the big pecan that fell 4-5 years ago. I previously cut 2-3 logs to open the path east and north of the Elm Bridge. The logs are beginning to have some good decay and I find some large sluggish Scolopendra centipedes curled and sheltered there. I also disturb nests of tiny ants, Monomorium? and snails. Good to see the logs picking up some inhabitants.
The NW Pond is well-filled (2.48 ft depth) and silvery. A surface skim of dissolved organics covers the pond and begins a slow counter-clockwise grey as a light west wind blows across the water.
There is new green in the Woods.. always happens and always interesting in November. The large nearly heart-shaped leaves remind me of Digitalis, foxglove.. but it isn't in the Woods. It isn't Smilax, greenbrier, maybe basal leaves of Elephantopus, elephantsfoot. I will have to figure that out. There are also side-by-side new fresh green leaves of Geum, avens with old avens leaves of this summer, now light brown or darker around the senescent edges. Also hardy green Euonymus. The three invasive 'L's' are all there with new leaves too: Liriope monkeygrass, Lonicera, Japanese honeysuckle and Ligustrum privet. Some of the braver (or foolhardy) native tree species are producing some new green leaves: small new box elder leaves and an expansive display of dozens of understory red elms with many fully flushed green leaves.. like April, almost.
Down by Beaver dam there are a half dozen mosquito wrigglers still growing in the remaining water. Just one adult mosquito there for the entire morning. Last turtles I've seen this year were with entomology class back on Oct. 26 a hundred yards east of the NW Pond.
This summer's life in the Woods is coming to an end. The leaves held on, and then fell quickly almost in a day after our late first freeze. But it is messy. Everything is there ready to make new life, standing water, muddy soil, abundant propagules, lots of organic carbon and nutrient elements to recycle into new life. Starting soon.
.. and a 'thanks' for the encouraging appreciation left on windshield.
I spot two whitetail does bounding away westward from near Elm Bridge. Along the Tree Loop at the cutoff junction, there is a large 'scrape', a square foot of soil scraped bare by a buck marking the place with his scent. Walking along the Barney cutoff a hundred feet northeast of the patch of bittersweet I discovered the recent remains and entrails of a whitetail a couple of weeks ago. My attention was captured first by abundant tufts of white and brown hair along the trail.. and then the odd grassy off-green of the rumen from the gut of the deer. Maybe an animal shot by a hunter, escaped to the Woods and died; perhaps carcass consumed by coyotes or other scavengers. No sign of the bones left. Perhaps I will find this winter.
In the Woods, I hear flickers calling, cardinals and robins, even warm enough for a lone cricket to sing by the NW Pond. A few other insects are still stirring. At Tall Stump a slow Polistes wasp lands briefly on my jeans and moves on.. likely a queen seeking a good shelter under a chink of bark or in a rotten log where she can pass the winter. In the spring she will emerge and begin laying eggs for her new brood who later will help build or expand her summer's nest. One last Vespula yellow jacket going to ground. Most of these will die before the real winter, leaving just the new queens already inseminated surviving the winter in their hidden shelters.
I roll a few of the rotting logs from the big pecan that fell 4-5 years ago. I previously cut 2-3 logs to open the path east and north of the Elm Bridge. The logs are beginning to have some good decay and I find some large sluggish Scolopendra centipedes curled and sheltered there. I also disturb nests of tiny ants, Monomorium? and snails. Good to see the logs picking up some inhabitants.
The NW Pond is well-filled (2.48 ft depth) and silvery. A surface skim of dissolved organics covers the pond and begins a slow counter-clockwise grey as a light west wind blows across the water.
There is new green in the Woods.. always happens and always interesting in November. The large nearly heart-shaped leaves remind me of Digitalis, foxglove.. but it isn't in the Woods. It isn't Smilax, greenbrier, maybe basal leaves of Elephantopus, elephantsfoot. I will have to figure that out. There are also side-by-side new fresh green leaves of Geum, avens with old avens leaves of this summer, now light brown or darker around the senescent edges. Also hardy green Euonymus. The three invasive 'L's' are all there with new leaves too: Liriope monkeygrass, Lonicera, Japanese honeysuckle and Ligustrum privet. Some of the braver (or foolhardy) native tree species are producing some new green leaves: small new box elder leaves and an expansive display of dozens of understory red elms with many fully flushed green leaves.. like April, almost.
Down by Beaver dam there are a half dozen mosquito wrigglers still growing in the remaining water. Just one adult mosquito there for the entire morning. Last turtles I've seen this year were with entomology class back on Oct. 26 a hundred yards east of the NW Pond.
This summer's life in the Woods is coming to an end. The leaves held on, and then fell quickly almost in a day after our late first freeze. But it is messy. Everything is there ready to make new life, standing water, muddy soil, abundant propagules, lots of organic carbon and nutrient elements to recycle into new life. Starting soon.
.. and a 'thanks' for the encouraging appreciation left on windshield.
Something wrong in Oliver's Woods
October 7 and I decide to make a quick, short return to the Woods. I hear ticks are declining and mosquitoes are bad..but I can handle mosquitoes. At 5 PM I set foot again on the NW entrance trail - for the first time in 2-3 months. After the inch plus rain this morning the earth and trail surface are sodden. I go looking to see if there have been big changes. The air is full of warmth and humidity, like a tropical lowland rain forest; but I am troubled.. maybe it is the low barometric pressure. Tornado was sighted an hour south of here. Here the air is still. At the NW pond the water depth is 2.5 ft. One large adult whitetail deer on the south shore of the pond stands and runs, splashing a short 10 yards through the water then turns to look back.
No other signs of large vertebrates, no turtles etc. The water level is high enough to reach the second square stone from the trail, and almost to the first. Carrying on east through the big trees I see two monarchs pausing on their southward flight from Canada to Mexico. Been a lot of them through Norman this fall. Amazing that they can keep on course and make their way.
The East pond is 2.15 feet in depth and quiet.
Across the Woods new leaf fall is beginning, covering all the forest floor..but only a thin blanket. In the canopy > 96% of the leaves are still there. They should be turning and falling soon.
This warmth and humidity feels wrong. The warmest August the planet has ever seen. Temperatures have not fallen here in central Oklahoma. No crisp cool fall days. Cold front is coming.. but it feels odd now. With the changing climate, I wonder which forest species will win and which will lose. Maybe Celtis sugar berry and others continuing to put on new leaves late into summer and early autumn will gain an advantage. Maybe those with early leaf drop will lose some advantage. I see one spider on its web.. a Micrathena..usually a spring / early summer species.. no Araneus, more typical of late summer. I wonder if some species will begin to produce a second or partial second generation.
Walking in the Wood and feeling the unnatural warmth I have a slight feeling of foreboding. The climate change cliff threshold that has been so much discussed.. I think it is happening. I think we are going over the cliff, and that positive feedback loops are accelerating the rate of change..with release of methane from boreal / polar regions and other places like ocean clathrates. I think 20 years from now the natural planet earth will be very different.
No other signs of large vertebrates, no turtles etc. The water level is high enough to reach the second square stone from the trail, and almost to the first. Carrying on east through the big trees I see two monarchs pausing on their southward flight from Canada to Mexico. Been a lot of them through Norman this fall. Amazing that they can keep on course and make their way.
The East pond is 2.15 feet in depth and quiet.
Across the Woods new leaf fall is beginning, covering all the forest floor..but only a thin blanket. In the canopy > 96% of the leaves are still there. They should be turning and falling soon.
This warmth and humidity feels wrong. The warmest August the planet has ever seen. Temperatures have not fallen here in central Oklahoma. No crisp cool fall days. Cold front is coming.. but it feels odd now. With the changing climate, I wonder which forest species will win and which will lose. Maybe Celtis sugar berry and others continuing to put on new leaves late into summer and early autumn will gain an advantage. Maybe those with early leaf drop will lose some advantage. I see one spider on its web.. a Micrathena..usually a spring / early summer species.. no Araneus, more typical of late summer. I wonder if some species will begin to produce a second or partial second generation.
Walking in the Wood and feeling the unnatural warmth I have a slight feeling of foreboding. The climate change cliff threshold that has been so much discussed.. I think it is happening. I think we are going over the cliff, and that positive feedback loops are accelerating the rate of change..with release of methane from boreal / polar regions and other places like ocean clathrates. I think 20 years from now the natural planet earth will be very different.
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
July return to Woods
Saturday July 7 I returned to the Woods to see their look in midsummer. I entered via the NE Gate and was struck again by the destruction wrought by the line crew; but then eagerly advanced into the shade and solid humid warmth beyond the first trees. I walked 70% of all the trails and things were OK, no major tree falls. Lots of creatures in the Woods. Small (softball-sized) young box turtle on trail just west of NW Pond. Water there was lower but good at 1.4 ft. The growth of the cattails was lush and made an interesting sharp line of division between them and the 0.7 meter lower growth of the sedges (equally lush). Be interesting to map the line between the two species and think about what might control that.. water depth/ water permanence, soil difference, light? Hovering dragonfly looked like an aeshnid. I did not see the red-eared slider pond turtles, but I am sure they were there. Just inside the NE Gate a young spotted white-tailed fawn spooked and sprinted away 60-70 m, then turned and watched me. South and west in the Woods, I saw two does. At the East Pond there were scores of young small frogs all jumping back to the water as I approached the water.. now substantially withdrawn from max shoreline, although water depth was 1.1 feet. Throughout the Woods, there were hundreds of webs of Micrathena across the trails. Great time to study the spiders in the Woods: what is the diversity? what controls their abundance in different areas of the Woods? (types of vegetation shrubs/ tall trees, proximity to water, amount of sunlight etc) If webs are broken, does the spider rebuild using the same points? how quickly do they rebuild?
Mosquitoes, unfortunately were moderately abundant, despite DEET. There is some water left in isolated bodies in the Wash, none at Island Crossing or Elm Bridge. I disturbed a big Neotibicen cicada at Island Crossing. There was one of the same, caught in a web and I found the shed exuvia of one on the underside of a leaf of a mexican hickory. Must have been an emergence of these while I was gone in Europe.
Along the westside of the NW Pond I was surprised to see a moderately large crayfish castle/ chimney at the base of a young ash tree. I didn't know there were crayfish in there.
Along the South Boundary trail, just west of the patch of small roughleaf dogwoods, I watched from thirty feet away, the slow flight of an exciting Megarhyssa ichneumon wasp with its giant ovipositor tail. It was flying through a wreck of tangled, fallen tree trunks and branches.
The canopy in the Woods, surprisingly, felt more open.. more sunlight coming through. It may be that storms had taken out some leaves or the understory was thinned out a bit. Along the trails, Elephantopus elephant's ear was taking advantage of the light.. healthy thick patches of these mixed with Polygonum pink lady's thumb, especially by the junction of the North Rim and North Loop Trails. At the same location I snapped off the tops (again) of three fast growing invasive Ailanthus tree-of-heaven, keeping each one below one meter.
I checked on the invasive bittersweet and it looks like the majority of the canopy growth of the patch has died after cutting. But there are now scores or more of new young twining tendrils, with orbiculate, toothed leaves, rising from the cut stumps of the vine. By the SW Gate, along the fence line, the orange flowers of the Campsis trumpet vine were blooming.
Mosquitoes, unfortunately were moderately abundant, despite DEET. There is some water left in isolated bodies in the Wash, none at Island Crossing or Elm Bridge. I disturbed a big Neotibicen cicada at Island Crossing. There was one of the same, caught in a web and I found the shed exuvia of one on the underside of a leaf of a mexican hickory. Must have been an emergence of these while I was gone in Europe.
Along the westside of the NW Pond I was surprised to see a moderately large crayfish castle/ chimney at the base of a young ash tree. I didn't know there were crayfish in there.
Along the South Boundary trail, just west of the patch of small roughleaf dogwoods, I watched from thirty feet away, the slow flight of an exciting Megarhyssa ichneumon wasp with its giant ovipositor tail. It was flying through a wreck of tangled, fallen tree trunks and branches.
The canopy in the Woods, surprisingly, felt more open.. more sunlight coming through. It may be that storms had taken out some leaves or the understory was thinned out a bit. Along the trails, Elephantopus elephant's ear was taking advantage of the light.. healthy thick patches of these mixed with Polygonum pink lady's thumb, especially by the junction of the North Rim and North Loop Trails. At the same location I snapped off the tops (again) of three fast growing invasive Ailanthus tree-of-heaven, keeping each one below one meter.
I checked on the invasive bittersweet and it looks like the majority of the canopy growth of the patch has died after cutting. But there are now scores or more of new young twining tendrils, with orbiculate, toothed leaves, rising from the cut stumps of the vine. By the SW Gate, along the fence line, the orange flowers of the Campsis trumpet vine were blooming.
Sunday, June 3, 2018
"Something hidden; Go and find it."
Out to the Woods at 9:30 Sunday morning. I drove to the NE Gate to assess the impact of the clearing along the northern boundary. First thing that caught my eye in the Eastern Wash was a long-winged insect fluttering in weak flight. Through binocs it looked like a stonefly..but that would be very unusual. Long body - a nice ant lion, Brachynemurini.
I walked the cleared power right of way westward. Dragonflies sunning themselves there. I should set out Lindgren traps to see beetles and natural enemies attracted. I bet there will be few in the area of junipers, with all the juniper terpenes & volatiles released. Fence has opening between East Wash and West Wash in the middle of the pure stand of junipers. Island Crossing or East Wash access directly through the junipers.
Spider webs across trails are more common, still not abundant. In the west they are pleasantly filled with cotton from Populus cottonwoods. Produces a gossamer effect in the under story.
Woods have dried significantly. Polygonum pink ladies thumb are starting to fill in some of the Main SW Trail and Carex sedges are tall. East Pond depth is 1.72 ft and NW Pond 1.6. Small (cricket?) frog hopping across the broad mud perimeter into East Pond. Two red-eared sliders basking on log in NW pond, one the size of a large soup bowl and one a large coffee cup.
On dry land one small box turtle, size of large coffee cup by bird feeder east of NW Pond.
The Woods have transitioned into full summer mode, sounds muffled by the full green. Canopy leaves now mature green, not light spring green.
I checked on the invasive bittersweet. Still canopy crowns of green leaves (on tall juniper). I found and cut more old big stems of the vine. Lots of under story stems/ leaves.
I check the three invasive Ailanthus trees and break off their new growth. Complex nutty odor of crushed leaves reminds me of odor of green hollow fruits of maypop passion flower back east.
Along Hackberry Alley one branch of a box elder has a Hyphantria fall webworm nest with defoliation of the dozen leaves.
Three canopy coffee trees have been blown over, north of Hackberry Alley. New leafy sprouts are shooting up from roots, interesting. One emerging from top of 2-3 m tall root ball is now 3-4 m tall. Skull of racoon(?) or possum? by westernmost tilted coffee tree. Roots make new protected leanto shelters for vertebrates.
I am reminded of Horace Kephart quoting Rudyard Kipling writing about explorations "Something hidden; Go and find it."
I walked the cleared power right of way westward. Dragonflies sunning themselves there. I should set out Lindgren traps to see beetles and natural enemies attracted. I bet there will be few in the area of junipers, with all the juniper terpenes & volatiles released. Fence has opening between East Wash and West Wash in the middle of the pure stand of junipers. Island Crossing or East Wash access directly through the junipers.
Spider webs across trails are more common, still not abundant. In the west they are pleasantly filled with cotton from Populus cottonwoods. Produces a gossamer effect in the under story.
Woods have dried significantly. Polygonum pink ladies thumb are starting to fill in some of the Main SW Trail and Carex sedges are tall. East Pond depth is 1.72 ft and NW Pond 1.6. Small (cricket?) frog hopping across the broad mud perimeter into East Pond. Two red-eared sliders basking on log in NW pond, one the size of a large soup bowl and one a large coffee cup.
On dry land one small box turtle, size of large coffee cup by bird feeder east of NW Pond.
The Woods have transitioned into full summer mode, sounds muffled by the full green. Canopy leaves now mature green, not light spring green.
I checked on the invasive bittersweet. Still canopy crowns of green leaves (on tall juniper). I found and cut more old big stems of the vine. Lots of under story stems/ leaves.
I check the three invasive Ailanthus trees and break off their new growth. Complex nutty odor of crushed leaves reminds me of odor of green hollow fruits of maypop passion flower back east.
Along Hackberry Alley one branch of a box elder has a Hyphantria fall webworm nest with defoliation of the dozen leaves.
Three canopy coffee trees have been blown over, north of Hackberry Alley. New leafy sprouts are shooting up from roots, interesting. One emerging from top of 2-3 m tall root ball is now 3-4 m tall. Skull of racoon(?) or possum? by westernmost tilted coffee tree. Roots make new protected leanto shelters for vertebrates.
I am reminded of Horace Kephart quoting Rudyard Kipling writing about explorations "Something hidden; Go and find it."
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Sad damage to the Woods
Nice morning for a walk in the Woods. At 10:30 I went to the NW entrance and walked into the fragrant humidity of the green jungle growing. Vague sweet fragrance may be from last of Ligustrum privet bloom or beginning honeysuckle or some other combination. Glimpse of a heron at the pond but interesting only the clear reflection in the water as it flapped to a hidden perch a few feet above the water. Green everywhere but no turtles visible. New dragonfly libelluid adults perching on shrubs by the trail. Spider webs are beginning again, dozens across the trail; but interestingly not the Micrathena typical for early summer orb weavers. Wonder what happened..looks like maybe young orange Araneus instead. With half inch of rain Friday morning, the trails are pleasantly soggy, but no standing water blocking trails, even on SW Trails. The ponds are well filled and the toeslope swamp to the west.
Mosquitoes are fairly abundant even with DEET and ticks are there too. I find several on me hours later despite precautions, DEET, changing clothes, shower, tick check etc.
Fungi are diverse and abundant with the summer rain. The wood ear Auricularia is full of moisture and full size on many logs and standing snags. couple of small red Sarcoscypha scarlet elf cups on Tree Loop, lots of small agarics on decaying logs, white oyster mushrooms, or something like it all along mystery fallen hackberry. Especially in NW Woods fallen catkins are everywhere, an abundant addition to litter fall. One large doe avoids me on Tree Loop. Barred owl flies silently away in the under story and disappears west of Hackberry Alley.
65 m north of the old beaver dam there is a serious, large spot infestation of dozens of stems of the invasive vine, Celastrus occidentalis, bittersweet. In a rough ellipse maybe 15-20m long and 5-10 m wide. There is a luxuriant tangled growth of bittersweet leaves up in the canopy. Looks to have been there a few years. Some of the vines were 2 inches in diameter. I cut the big ones I could find with a small pruning saw I had with me and pulled up 30-40 smaller stems. There are scores of small stems remaining.
At the NE Entrance to the Tree Loop I discovered that the northern boundary of Oliver's Woods along Hwy 9 had been cut this week. Looks like crews from a power company had a tracked vehicle and chainsaws to cut a swath about 20-30 feet south of the fence line. They've cut and shredded trees marked with blue flagging with numbered permanent metal tags we used for phenology and species ID tutorials. The clearing is excessive, and conducted without regard to the special conservation/ education status and the Oklahoma Registered Natural Area status. I was saddened to see this. It would be good if the power company could have the understanding that Oliver's Woods has special status for conservation, education and research and they managed the right-of-way to have the minimum possible impact. Instruct the sawyers that the forest is valuable and they should cut only what is necessary. It does not look like there was appropriate restraint. Sad to have this damage and reduction of the Woods.
Mosquitoes are fairly abundant even with DEET and ticks are there too. I find several on me hours later despite precautions, DEET, changing clothes, shower, tick check etc.
Fungi are diverse and abundant with the summer rain. The wood ear Auricularia is full of moisture and full size on many logs and standing snags. couple of small red Sarcoscypha scarlet elf cups on Tree Loop, lots of small agarics on decaying logs, white oyster mushrooms, or something like it all along mystery fallen hackberry. Especially in NW Woods fallen catkins are everywhere, an abundant addition to litter fall. One large doe avoids me on Tree Loop. Barred owl flies silently away in the under story and disappears west of Hackberry Alley.
65 m north of the old beaver dam there is a serious, large spot infestation of dozens of stems of the invasive vine, Celastrus occidentalis, bittersweet. In a rough ellipse maybe 15-20m long and 5-10 m wide. There is a luxuriant tangled growth of bittersweet leaves up in the canopy. Looks to have been there a few years. Some of the vines were 2 inches in diameter. I cut the big ones I could find with a small pruning saw I had with me and pulled up 30-40 smaller stems. There are scores of small stems remaining.
At the NE Entrance to the Tree Loop I discovered that the northern boundary of Oliver's Woods along Hwy 9 had been cut this week. Looks like crews from a power company had a tracked vehicle and chainsaws to cut a swath about 20-30 feet south of the fence line. They've cut and shredded trees marked with blue flagging with numbered permanent metal tags we used for phenology and species ID tutorials. The clearing is excessive, and conducted without regard to the special conservation/ education status and the Oklahoma Registered Natural Area status. I was saddened to see this. It would be good if the power company could have the understanding that Oliver's Woods has special status for conservation, education and research and they managed the right-of-way to have the minimum possible impact. Instruct the sawyers that the forest is valuable and they should cut only what is necessary. It does not look like there was appropriate restraint. Sad to have this damage and reduction of the Woods.
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