Vocabulary
March 12, 2015
Before Spring really launches and the level of activity in
and around Cottonwood Pond increases exponentially, I thought I should review
vocabulary, or, what all of these terms mean that I keep using when describing
things here.
The term Cottonwood Pond is defined within the
description of the blog itself. I sometimes refer to the “main pond”,
meaning the original, larger body of water created by the fallen tree (as
opposed to “little pond”).
Root Ball – the Cottonwood Tree's big, roundish root
mass that became a vertical wall when the tree tipped over, and which left the
hole that became the pond.
Root Ball Top – the part of the Root Ball that used to
be ground level. It is covered with plants normally found on the woods floor.
Below the Root Ball Top is “little pond”, and nearby, of course, is the
Cottonwood Trunk.
Root Ball Bottom – the part of the Root Ball that used
to be underground. This part serves as a back wall to the main pond. Dirt has
been falling from this part, depositing into and onto parts of the pond, and
exposing more of the roots and rootlets.
Cottonwood Trunk – self-explanatory. The trunk extends
from Cottonwood Pond up and above the slope to the crook of a two-trunk Red Oak
tree, where the Cottonwood Trunk is lodged. Bark has been naturally stripping
from the bottom side of the log, and wildlife use the top side.
“little pond” - the “pond” that formed at the base of
the Root Ball Top, to the north of the Trunk. It started out very much smaller
than the main pond, and is still small during extended dry periods. During wet
periods, it overflows across the ground (making it swampy), beneath and to the
other side of the Trunk, and across the Isthmus, sometimes meeting up with the
main pond water there. Lately, when its waters flow below the trunk, it meets
up with main pond water through the new Cove under the Root Ball.
The Cove – the newest named aspect of Cottonwood Pond,
it was formed within the last few months. It is an opening under a section of
the bottom edge of the Root Ball. Sometimes waters of the main pond and “little
pond” join through here.
The Inlet (formerly “The New Inlet”) - an opening
below the Barkless Log, at the southwest edge of the main pond, where water
enters the main pond during rains and snow melts. Water travels down slopes to
the east, where it gathers into a Temporary Creek at the base of the slopes,
and flows toward Cottonwood Pond, some of it entering inlets.
The New Inlet – formed sometime after the Inlet. This
opening (under the Barkless Log) occurred closer to the Root Ball.
The Newest Inlet – an inlet under the Barkless Log
that sometimes appears between the Inlet and the New Inlet. Water sometimes seeps through the Inlets, and sometimes
rushes through. Some green plants (so far not identified) have started growing
on a spit of mud between the Inlets, just beyond the pond side of the Barkless
Log.
The Barkless Log – a tree that fell way before the
Cottonwood fell and is now devoid of any bark. It's base is barely up slope,
south of the main pond. The trunk extends along the southeast edge of the main
pond, then forks near the Root Ball, where one limb continues near the ground
and the other angles above. The Inlets formed beneath this trunk.
The Very Rotten Log – is very rotten. It stretches
over the Creek to the west of the main pond, extends across the low ground and
across the southern corner of the pond. It then goes underneath the Barkless
Log (since it fell way before the latter tree) and then into the very wet area
beyond that, where it rots into oblivion. The part crossing over the creek is
mainly rotten on the top side, at this time, and I can walk on it, but further
up the trunk, the more rotten it gets.
The Creek – (some people around here still refer to
such places as “a ditch.”) The part of the Creek on our property begins as it
pours through the culvert from under the road and then winds its way from east
to south, curving toward the west, then flowing, in a meandering manner,
through the lowlands of the woods in a northwesterly direction. It flows past
Cottonwood Pond (a few yards away, at most) and continues to the northwest,
where it eventually curves to the west through ever-deepening ravines until it
exits our property. The Creek and Cottonwood Pond affect each other, most
directly via the Seep.
The Seep – a line from the west corner of Cottonwood
Pond to the Creek. When Cottonwood Pond swells with more water than it can
handle, water seeps out of that corner and makes its way to the Creek. The Seep
varies from being very obvious to being invisible, and it belies the very scant
change in elevation between pond and Creek.
The Isthmus – a tiny “dam” between the Two-Trunk Tree
and the northwestern edge of the Root Ball. When “little pond” overflows, its
water tends to go around the Isthmus. When there is a greater flood, the water
will go over the Isthmus.
The Temporary Creek – exists only when there is a lot
of rain or snow melt. Water seeps down the slopes (east of Cottonwood Pond),
collects just beyond the bases of the slopes, and forms a slight stream that
flows down to the low wetland area. Just before Cottonwood Pond, it slows into
the Swampy Place, then divides. One flow enters the main pond through the
Inlets. The other flow spreads out under the Trunk, enters “little pond”, and
spreads out over the adjacent area.
The Swampy Place (a.k.a Swampy Spot) – a slowed-down,
very soggy area where water collects, to the east of the Cottonwood Pond area.
Water forms there from the Temporary Creek, and pools before slowly flowing or
seeping toward the Inlets or under the Trunk. A group of Mystery Plants (which
may be a species of Monkey Flower) now grows in the middle of the Swampy Place.
The Bent Blue Beech – a young Blue
Beech/Ironwood/Musclewood/American Hornbeam tree still growing just beyond the
southern corner of the main pond. When the great Cottonwood fell, the Blue
Beech was caught up in it, and was pulled and bent so that it arches over the
southeast edge of the main pond and then is horizontal, reaching beyond the
Root Ball. There is now some damage on the lower trunk, but the tree still
grows new leaves.
The Young _____ Tree – stands at the
south/southwestern edge of the main pond, not far from the Bent Blue Beech and
the Barkless Log. When the main pond is very full, the base of this tree is in
the water. I used to call it the Young Maple Tree, but then realized it is not
a Maple, and have since forgotten what it is. It is so young that I can't tell
by the bark, so I will make sure to correct its name this spring or summer.
The Two-Trunk Tree – a young-ish tree with two trunks
extending, in a “v”, just above its base, which has a natural hole in it. It
stands near the northeastern edge of the Root Ball, with the Isthmus between.
When flooding is great, water extends all around the base of this tree. This is
another that I need to positively identify so that I can correct its name.
Mud Pile #1 – started forming at the base of the Root
Ball Bottom, to the northeastern end. It formed from dirt falling from the Root
Ball Bottom, piling up below, and has been increasing much in length, width and
depth. It now extends around the northeastern edge of the Root Ball, where much
dirt has fallen, leaving a tangle of bare rootlets above the Mud Pile.
Mud Pile #2 – started forming a the base of the Root
Ball Bottom, at the southeastern corner between the Root Ball and the Barkless
Log. It formed from dirt falling from the Root Ball Bottom and depositing
there, but also from soil deposited on its lower part by water pushing through the New Inlet. It is more sheltered than Mud Pile #1, and
increases at a lower rate.
Some other interesting aspects of Cottonwood Pond:
–
Young Elderberry shrubs (fast growing) around
the southeastern end of the Root Ball.
–
A Bush Honeysuckle growing on the north side of
the Trunk – needs to be removed, as it is very invasive.
No doubt, there will be many more changes in the vicinity,
leading to more developments that merit more terms and names. A few in the
above list happened in less than a year's time.
