Early August Rain
August 2, 2017
During the last half of July
there had been heavy rains, filling up Cottonwood Pond and the area all around
it. This was followed by a drying period.
The day was slightly breezy.
It was not as hot as August days tend to be, perhaps because the sky was
overcast and we were expecting more rain. Light in the woods was dim instead of
glaring, giving definition to the surroundings. Cicadas were calling in
profusion.
The slope to the northwest
Across part of the bottom land, looking north
The slope and bottom land to the east/southeast (with Creek)
Vegetation in the bottom land
had stretched further up, on its way to late summer heights. There was a mix of
plants in seed, plants blooming, and plants in bud.
The Root Ball Bottom, with tree saplings and vines, and the Mud Pile, covered in tall plants (mostly Jewelweed)
A Tall Blue Lettuce between Creek and main pond
False Nettle in bud
Honewort in seed
Winged Monkeyflower in bloom next to the main pond
Before this year, I found many Winged Monkeyflower plants in the Swampy Spot area - this year I found none there, but instead a few near the main pond.
And what was this beautiful,
tall plant, in bud, and about to grow taller? I would keep watching this one to
see the blooms later. There were two next to the Swampy Spot, and some between the main pond and Creek.
Ditch Stonecrop in flower and fruit near the main pond
White Avens in bloom
Some little plants were just
starting out, encouraged by rain:
Plants in the mud of the Swampy Spot - not enough rain to drown them or sweep them away
New plants growing from what is left of the bark on the Cottonwood Trunk
Plants on a remnant of the Very Rotten Log, near the Inlet
The Button Bush that I had
planted earlier was doing well, getting new leaves, and the Elderberry
branches, reaching tall toward the sunlight, were full of berries both green and
deep purple.
Button Bush
Elderberry
Though we had heavy rain, it
was after a long dry spell. I found no standing water anywhere, but everything
was very muddy, and rotten old logs were soaked, having absorbed the water like
sponges.
The Creek through the lowland - looking upstream from Cottonwood Pond area
Debris caught between
logs served as evidence of previously strong rushes of Creek water, probably
earlier in the season.
Where the Creek had passed the Barkless Log, I could see plenty of Raccoon prints in the mud,
wandering all up the Creek bed, as well as some tiny new Crawdad chimneys being
formed
Running down the Raccoon Highway
As well, the bottom of the
main Pond was just mud. It was covered in Raccoon prints, tiny worm burrows, and pebbles of mud (I
didn't know the origin of the latter.)
Looking toward the Inlet, the broken-off section of the Very Rotten Log can be seen in the middle of the mud
The Seep, running from pond
corner to Creek, was barely distinguishable, perhaps most visible closer to the
Creek.
Looking down the Seep to the Creek, along the Very Rotten Log
The Bark Ledge at the end of
the Seep was showing some real wear and tear from previously rushing water.
The Isthmus between
the main pond and “little pond” had not been active - new plants and Crawdad
chimneys looked undisturbed.
I could see
that Cottonwood bark, fallen from the Trunk and previously settled just below
it, had been pushed toward the far end of “little pond.”
The lack of flowing water in Temporary Creek
#1 had been allowing new plants to grow there, and the same was happening in
the Swampy Spot, where water from Temporary Creek #1 normally flows.
Swampy Spot, with the
old orange ball pushed into the vegetation
Animal tracks in the
mud of Swampy Spot
The flow route moving
from the Swampy Spot toward the pond Inlet was all grown over
Inlet and main pond
Besides animal prints and worm
burrows in the mud, there were other signs of animals, and sometimes animals
themselves, all encouraged by the dampness. Flying insects sometimes buzzed by
my ears or darted among the greenery. There were many spider webs stretched
here and there, either in mid-air between objects or on the ground, or
decorating the Root Ball, evidence that it was heavy insect season.
New Crawdad chimneys in the works
Adorning the Root Ball Top and Bottom - hammock-style and bowl-and-doily webs
The Root Ball Top and Bottom were almost polka-dotted with burrows, some with webs stretched across them
The lowest holes could be Crawdad burrows - but what made the other holes?
The gradual piling up
of mud below the Root Ball as well as the erosion and gouging of dirt from
among the roots might provide havens for some wildlife.
Blue Jay feather - I hear the loud, raucous calls of adult Blue Jays in the trees, as well as the slightly quieter, higher-pitched voices of their young
Large black ant on log
Of course, a good, fresh
dousing of rain water brings about the mushrooms, and you never know what you
will find. Here is a tour of fungaloids found that day:
Earth Stars (a type of puffball mushroom) at the top
of the slope, near the edge of the woods
Teeny-tiny bright orange mushrooms on the Barkless Log
Fungi near the base of the Barkless Log
Mushroom at the base of the Mud Pile
Mushrooms under one of the Blue Beech saplings on top of the fallen Cottonwood Trunk
Near "little pond"
Coral fungi near the base of the Cottonwood Trunk and on a log near the Swampy Spot
A white jelly fungus near the base of the Barkless Log
Also showing up was something
I see now and then at Cottonwood Pond that looks like a fungus but is not. This
is a type of slime mold, though the furry look doesn't match that name. But, slime
molds come in a vast variety of bizarre forms, and also change form according
to environmental conditions.
There was still plenty of
summer left. Would the ponds, the Creek and everything else ever fill up again?
What else might show up, blooming and living around Cottonwood Pond?
