Cottonwood Mud Hole
October 1, 2014
Prologue:
Readers of this blog may have noticed that the entries jump
from May 23 to October 1 of 2014. Where did the summer go? Indeed, where did
it go. It was a pleasant summer, too, as far as weather. We had relatively cool and breezy one for the Lower
Wabash Valley, and I was very thankful for that. It kept me from over-heating
while conducting nature activities with large groups of children elsewhere in
the county.
Indeed, that is where the summer went – my time, my
attention, my energy, my creativity. Although it went to a noble, effective and
far-reaching cause, I have to say that I never want to be so busy again. I had
intended to be absorbed in nature study, including Cottonwood Pond. This would
be an important summer, when so much would be going on there; when I would
dawdle down at the pond observing everything, keeping notes and drawings; when
I would visit at various times of day and night; when I would take frequent
samples, do frequent testing, frequently study what I found, and learn so much
more.
What did I learn, then, besides the fact that I no longer
want other things to take so much away from this? And have any of my readers
been on the edge their seats, cliff-hung, wondering what has been going on at
Cottonwood Pond?
I learned that it is OK that I wasn't there, and I learned to
let go of the idea. I learned that whatever has been going on down there has
just been going on whether or not I've been watching it, and I learned that it
is so wonderful that it does just that – it goes on and on. There were probably
more tadpoles turning into frogs or into meals for raccoons, which probably
visited more. There were probably different birds there this year, stopping by
or flying overhead. There probably would have been a different configuration of
plant life, maybe some different plants, and all sorts of interesting bugs
visiting them There may have been some different aquatic beings than I've seen
before, and different tracks left in the mud.
It all went on and on, and so did I. And that is so
wonderful. The main reason I like to hang out in Nature, anyway, is the calm I
experience in knowing that I can be there and not really matter much, that
nothing is requiring anything of me, that it all just goes on and on, doing
what it needs to be doing.
I missed a summer at Cottonwood Pond, but I'm sure the pond
did not miss me. Whatever was happening on October 1st down there,
after a hot and dry September period, it was what happens after whatever
happened all summer.
And, I would go down there on October 1st to see
what that would be.
The ground along the slope was fairly bare, after the lush
woodland growth of early spring and summer had gone its way, and summer rains
had washed some debris downhill. The
lower wetland, however, was densely green, where moisture and nutrients had
collected and mostly remained, in use by plants and other wildlife.
There was a sea of Spotted Jewelweed plants all around the
fallen Cottonwood area, dotted with the bright orange flowers. This would be a
grand buffet for Hummingbirds and Bumblebees. The Creek, the Seep, the Very
Rotten Log and almost everything else was barely discernible, if at all
visible.
Spotted
Jewelweed blossom (Impatiens capensis)
The Seep
Besides Spotted Jewelweed, there were:
Knotweed and Wood Nettle
Immature Honewort plants
Some of the Jewelweed plants bore seed pods:
Just a touch and a ripe pod explodes open, tossing out the seeds, and
giving the plant its other common name, Touch-Me-Not.
Then it was down to the edge of Cottonwood Pond, gingerly
making my way through the dense plant cover to find …
... Cottonwood Mud Hole.
We had been through a dry period, so I satisfied myself with
the thought that at least it was not completely dry in the “pond”.
I noticed other things:
–
The buildup of mud just under the root ball
(north corner) was greater than before, turning the lower part of the “pond”
into a narrow channel.
–
It had been dry long enough to allow plants to
grow just under the root ball.
–
There were deep holes in the dirt of the root
ball.
–
Spiders had built “doily” webs on the root ball.
–
I could easily see the Inlets under the Barkless
Log on the south end.
The area under the root ball was still dark and deep, still a
good place for frogs and other small creatures to take shelter. They would need
shelter from the busy Raccoons who had been there, evidenced by the many tracks
they had left in the mud of Cottonwood Mud Hole.
Cracks had
developed in the mud, and I wondered what tiny things might have ventured into
them.
Among the Raccoon prints there were also some long,
slippery trails in the mud. Were they from a Water Snake, or from something
pushed or dragged, possibly by Raccoons or Fox?
By the Two-Trunk Tree at the north edge, I found
the shredded stem of a large mushroom.
Going around to the top side of the root ball, I found a lush
green jungle, with tree saplings, ....
Stinging Nettle,
and Wood Nettle.
A young Sugar Maple growing from the top of the
root ball, where Cherie and I found the Water Snake coiled and waiting back on
May 23 (see previous blog post).
I looked down at “little pond” and found …
...”little
mud hole” ...
... and the source of the large mushrooms, disturbed by
an animal.
Nearby, at the bottom of the root ball, I found undisturbed
clusters of some kind of mushroom, like a hidden group of open umbrellas.
I even found a shredded mushroom stem on top of the fallen
Cottonwood trunk.
Some animal
had found this type of mushroom delectable. I wanted to find out the species of
mushroom, keeping in mind that what is edible for wildlife may not be edible for
human life.
Also, on top
of the trunk were some dark scat, clusters of some kind of berries or seeds ...
... and one shiny Persimmon seed. All of the seeds were probably left by
an animal, too, but likely without having gone through the animal.
Large strips of bark had fallen off the bottom of
the log, to become part of the soil in the future …
… and shreds of bark were tearing from the upper
part of the fallen Cottonwood.
More types of fungi were around the fallen tree:
The whole wet area where water eventually drains into
Cottonwood Pond and “little pond” was covered in tall, blooming Jewelweed.
(Cottonwood trunk seen in middle)
(Plant-covered root ball in middle, with Bent Blue
Beech from left to right, and part of Barkless Log on the lower right)
The Temporary Creek coming toward Cottonwood Pond.
(Cottonwood Pond and root ball bottom seen from the
south end, with Bent Blue Beech above, Barkless Log below)
Up a nearby slope I found an Eastern Box Turtle under a
log.
Near Cottonwood Pond is the Marshy Place. Last spring, I found
clusters of a “Mystery Plant” there, which I had never seen in these woods. I
kept watch as they grew, and included photos of them in blog posts. Alas, the
whole summer slipped past me, and one of my regrets was not keeping track of
these plants. I never got to see them bloom.
On October 1, I could see that they were rather tall, had
large lower leaves, that its leaves were arranged oppositely on the stems, that
the stems were square, and that the flowers had grown from the leaf axils. I
also saw that they had gone to seed, and that the seed capsules were still
hanging on, standing upright, tips slightly curved outward.
I guessed that theses were from the Family Scrophulariaceae
(Figwort family) and that perhaps they were one of the species of Monkey Flower (genus Mimulus).
Epilogue:
So ended my October 1st visit to Cottonwood Pond (or Cottonwood
Mud Hole), after a lost summer. Little did I know then that, three days later,
something would happen to prevent my visiting Cottonwood Pond (or any woods)
again for at least the next eight weeks.
When that period is over, I will resume my visits, and they
will be frequent and attentive. No longer will I allow other things to pull so
much time and energy from my observations and studies of Nature.
I will be sure to visit Cottonwood Pond all through this
coming winter, and the next spring, and all of the next summer, finding out
what goes on there, and whether or not those are Monkey Flowers in the Swampy
Place.
And, next year I will not miss the Autumn, either, as I had
to this year.
I will study this place closely, above and below, land,
water, and mud.
