April Acceleration

April Acceleration

April 2017

April 4

April 10

April 15

April 16 - very different from the day before

April 19

April 25

April 28

April 29

Spring and very warm weather had arrived very early this year, especially evidenced by the early, quick parade of spring blooms. Nevertheless April, as it its nature in these parts, put on a great show. The landscape changed rapidly in just a month's time, goaded on by a number of strong rains and some storms.

April 4 - large rosette of a Wild Lettuce, surrounded by seedlings of Jewelweed, near the Creek

April 4 - Blue Violets were still in bloom near Cottonwood Pond ...

...  and so was Spring Beauty.

April 4 - Young, tender Wood Nettles, just right for harvesting

April 10 - Mayapples have opened their umbrella tops, covering sections of woodland slope

April 10 - Prairie Trillium was still blooming in large groups throughout the woodland

Greenery on the Mud Pile on April 4 ....

... and on April 19

April 19 - grand Jack-in-the-Pulpit popped up all over the woodland

April 19 - Appendaged Waterleaf, growing in colonies on some of the slopes, in bud

April 19 - a couple of pale Prairie Trillium on the slope above Cottonwood Pond

April 19 - Butterweed, which covers farm fields in the spring, is not too picky about where it grows, as long as it has enough sunlight - including next to Cottonwood Pond

April 19 - Cleavers, abundant in woodlands here, in bloom - after this the Velcro-like  plant will stretch out very long, trailing across and covering sections of forest floor, exposing its many round, sticky seeds to more surface area where animals can pick them up on their hair and fur (or, we humans on our socks)

April 19 - a "mystery plant"

In early April, more green crept across the ground, but rather sparsely, and lying low to the surface. The woods floor was dotted with spots of white flowers among the green areas, looking as it they had been added in sections with a broad, watery paintbrush. Moss was waking up in all the wetness, adding dark spots of green to ground, logs and trees.

The woods on April 4

Tiny leaves began to emerge from trees (especially saplings,) shrubs and woody vines.

New tree leaves on April 4

April 4 - leaves of Boxelder opening up

April 4 - the water-loving Elderberry shrubs were leafing out early

April 4 - Spicebush was developing fruits and its leaves were emerging.

April 10 - leaves emerging along vines trailing from the top edge of the Root Ball

April 19 - Blue Beech saplings growing from the Root Ball at the base of the Trunk have been growing leaves. 

By mid-April the green was becoming more evident at higher levels as many tree leaves unfolded to almost half their growth. Still, one could easily see straight through the woods beyond Cottonwood Pond to the adjacent farm field.

April 4

April 10

April 15

Some trees were blooming, and I saw various catkins and other flowery inflorescence scattered on ground, logs and water, some knocked down early by storms.

April 15

By the latter part of April, tree leaves fully opened, filling in the spaces as if there had been a huge explosion, scattering pieces of green all over the canvas of my woodland view. Suddenly, the other side of this narrow woodland seemed more distant. Looking from the top of the woods, my view of Cottonwood Pond had become muffled. At the start of the month I could step to the top edge and immediately see Cottonwood Pond. By late month I had to pick through the details and look between new layers to recognize it – Root Ball, water, Inlet, Swampy Spot, etc.

April 19 - looking down into the woods, where the Creek runs through the bottom

April 19 - trying to see Cottonwood Pond

April 25

April 28 - very silty water, the contrasting color making it easier to find the pond

The frequent, heavy rains kept the main pond, “little pond,” the Inlet and the Swampy Spot full all month.

April 4 - a full pond and Inlet

April 4 - a full "little pond" and very muddy Isthmus

April 10 - Cottonwood Pond the Creek (foreground) and the Swampy Spot (right)

April 10 - the main pond is full, and water can also be seen on the other side of the Root Ball, through the Cove

April 10 - "little pond" - water is arriving from under the Trunk, and is also flowing over the Isthmus (bottom)

April 16

April 29

The Creek was constantly full and rapidly running, later turning the color of milky tea from the rush of sediment it carried.

April 10 - rushing Creek water to the right of the sunken branch, still water on the left

April 19 - looking upstream from the Cottonwood Pond area

April 28

April 29 - Creek - a think ribbon of cafe-au-lait

Water was readily running along an overflow path from the Swampy Spot to the Inlet. Throughout the month, greenery sprang up along this flow path of constant moisture and added nutrients, making the flow line more obvious.

April 4 - the flow path from the Swampy Spot (above) to the Inlet begins to be traced in green.

April 10

April 19

April 25 - flow path is to the right of the log

April 28 - flow path in middle of photo

April 29

Along with this increased abundance of rain and warmth came ever-increasing animal activity. My visits to the woods and Cottonwood Pond were extra enjoyable as the air and canopy echoed with the songs and calls of birds busy establishing territories and finding mates. By mid-month, the watery flute of the Wood Thrush danced throughout the canopy, and the watery warble of the Red-Winged Blackbirds sounded from the sunny edges. Woodpeckers were constantly pounding on dead wood and calling to each other.

April 10 - Tufted Titmouse during a foraging expedition near Cottonwood Pond

The mating season for the tiny Chorus Frogs was winding down. In March I heard countless numbers (or so it seemed) calling from Cottonwood Pond, its wet environs, and the slopes nearby. But in April I normally heard only one at a time, and sometimes one would leap into the water and vanish in the muddy bottom as I came near. The water was clear during each of my April visits, so I could see smoky-looking, silty clouds rise in the water where the frogs vanished.

April 12 - Chorus Frog at Cottonwood Pond

It was becoming Gray Tree Frog season. Instead of tiny, mud-colored Chorus Frogs invisible on the ground or water, there were invisible Tree Frogs blending splendidly with tree bark nearby. Just like the Chorus Frogs, their voices were piercingly loud, and though the sound seemed to be very near, I could not locate the frog.

Crawdads had to deal with flash floods over their homes all month, but they know very well how to do that – these creatures who dig their holes by streams, ponds and seeps, building up muddy chimneys above them. Water filled their holes and washed away their fantastic structures, but new chimneys kept appearing.

April 4 - Crawdad hole at edge of Creek

April 4 - sopping wet Crawdad chimney, hole filled with water

April 4 - very tall Crawdad chimney next to my hat

Raccoons, as always, were busy having so much more to hunt. Sometimes I found a raided Crawdad hole, claw marks on the side.

April 19 - two Crawdad holes, one raided by a Raccoon

In the pond water, I was only able to see a few tadpoles during one visit. But, pond snails were abundant. Some floated upside down just under the pond surface. I watched such a snail undulate its “foot” to gradually propel from one fallen piece of debris to another. Some soggy debris was littered with snails that remained still or scraped scum from the debris to feed themselves.

April 10

April 12 - upside-down snail working itself across the pond's under-surface

April 12 - pond snails on pond debris - another creature, very tiny and with legs sticking out, is on the very edge of the curve of the log

April 12 - snail-in-a-dish

One broken piece of tree limb, submerged under the pond, had attached to it gelatinous blobs here and there. On closer inspection with my lens, they seemed to be diaphanous eggs, each with one creamy spot. I had yet to learn what laid them there.

April 12

April 12

April 19

Other abundant creatures in the water were the mosquito pupae, or “tumblers,” which bounded up and down just under the surface. The previous month had seen many mosquito larvae, and there were still a small number of those.

April 10 - Mosquito tumblers under the pond surface

April 10 - Mosquito tumbler in hand

Otherwise, Fishing Spiders in various stages of growth darted across the water surface, then to the pond's edge where they popped out onto the ground and skittered across dry leaves, as if all surfaces were one and the same to them.

April 10 - Fishing Spider moving from pond water to leafy edge

The greatest impact on the area was the water flow, which was especially heavy. However, there was enough calm time between rains for sediment to settle and water to clarify. It had been strong enough, though, to sculpt new channels every time, particularly along the Creek.

April 4 - new overflow Creek channels

April 4

April 4 - channels carved outside of Inlet, where water flowed from Swampy Spot to pond

My April 10 visit was soon after a heavy rainstorm - sediment was still suspended in water

April 10 - the pond corner and the Seep flowing from it (on its way to the Creek)

April 10 - a middle section of the Seep, which had been developing two channels

April 10 - where the Seep enters the Creek, flowing over the Bark Ledge

Temporary Creek #1, which flows into the Swampy Spot on its way to Cottonwood Pond, is headed toward becoming a real Creek as rushing waters have been carving its channel more deeply over time

April 12 - clear water, with recent sediment resting on the bottom

April 28 - new Creek channels, again

Every time a channel is created, with sediment pushed ever harder by rushing water, that means the water will flow differently the next time, yet again. And, yet again, plants will populate different spots, adapting to those changes. Some may not appear where they did before. Animals will inhabit different places, or find food where they had not before. It is a constant, fascinating process.

April 4 - New channel carved from Swampy Spot to under Trunk to "little pond"

April 10 - a closer look at the channel developing from the Swampy Spot (beyond Trunk) to "little pond" (lower right)

As the sculpting continues, the woodland and Cottonwood Pond become ever busier, heat builds up and the woodland fills in with green and shade, I hope to visit often enough to observe as many changes as I am able.

April 10 - the storms and heavy rains of spring have dropped more debris into Cottonwood Pond, which eventually provides more food for small organisms (as it becomes substrates for bacteria, algae, etc.) and more nutrients for the pond (as it decays)

April 10 - A section of the upper Very Rotten Log has been submerged under constant high water, subjecting it to more decay - it has been breaking away from the rest of the log and is gradually contributing more to the pond

April 15 - green mists of algae growing in the water of Cottonwood Pond

April 19

April 29