Thursday, November 30, 2017

Ghosts


Ghosts
November 21, 2017
(with photos at end from November 25 and 29)




I am not yet ready to declare “the death of Cottonwood Pond.” Its existence has not been truly tested – not until we have more seasons of snow melt and heavy downpours. Not until the “pond” becomes so filled that its bottom surface is almost level with the surrounding land. Not until I no longer see aquatic snails, water beetles, tadpoles, frogs.

And if it's not “dead” yet, it can't have a “ghost.”

The photos I took on my November 21st visit sometimes exhibited amorphous, misty whitish areas floating within the scene.






They could have been caused by “lens flares,” from the intense sunlight of that day hitting the camera lens (and me not knowing how to compensate for that,) or it could have been caused by a smudge on my lens that collected and intensified light.

Whatever the case, they looked interesting and I found them symbolic of what had been happening – spirits hovering as omens of the death of Cottonwood Pond, or spirits of positive changes and ever-flowing Life. I prefer the latter.

The bed of fallen leaves in the woodland and at Cottonwood Pond had become thicker, and had lost individual, varietal color, turning yellow-brown, overall. It was more like walking through a giant bowl of corn flake cereal, each flake identical in color and somewhat similar in shape, deep and crunchy (without the milk or sugar.)





An exception: the late-changing Boxelder


Leaves had clogged up any places where water still flowed or gathered.






Creek water

Creek


The Inlet to the main pond


The main “pond” was only a thin crescent of leafy water (like soggy corn flakes.)

Silas drinking from Cottonwood Pond






























A "ghost" at "little pond"

A little bit of water visible in "little pond"


Features around the pond that had once seemed stable and solid were on their way to becoming ghosts of themselves.

The Inlet and the rotting Barkless Log





The mycelium of this mushroom, inside the Barkless Log, are helping to break down the wood fibers




The same is true for this purple jelly fungus on the Barkless Log


The Barkless Log begins on the opposite side of the Creek, then spans the Creek and Inlet, skirting the Root Ball. At the Root Ball it divides into and upper and lower limb. This is the lower, rapidly decaying.

The Trunk of the fallen Cottowood tree has been losing bark and supporting other forms of life (besides temporarily supporting Silas, here)

Moss and lichen on the Trunk

The Very Rotten Log, disappearing into the leaves and the ground. It extends from the other side of the Creek (distant) to the Inlet (foreground - not visible) and has lost a section to the pond itself.

The roots of the Cottonwood Root Ball have been gradually exposed, over the years, to the elements and to animal action. Pieces of them have been breaking off and falling.

The work of animals on the roots of the Root Ball Top (this and following photo)



Plants that had flourished from spring through early autumn, full of turgid strength in their stems, succulent leaves and colorful flowers attracting insects, had become composed of brittle, shrunken leaves and the fluffs and husks of late autumn seeds.






A small-leaved Aster

Another type of Aster

White Snakeroot, in the wind

Great Blue Lobelia


An old Wood Nettle plant, gradually being enveloped by the increasing Mud Pile

The flow path from the Swampy Spot (foreground) to the Inlet, through a sea of dead plant stalks

But, the “spirits” of positive changes, of the constant Cycle of Life, were present and at work. Already, young green plants were popping up through the deep, dry leaf layer, promising new Life for next spring and summer. The leaves will protect them from winter cold, snow and ice.

Honewort

Elderberry

Seedlings sprouting on the Root Ball Top

Life goes on at Cottonwood Pond, no matter what happens.

The "Goblin's" changing face


Top edge of the Root Ball, shrinking as chunks of soil fall off

The "Ghost" of Cottonwood Pond!



************************************************************************

Later November:








November 25








November 29








November 25









November 29


Saturday, November 25, 2017

Stormy Season


Stormy Season
November 6
(with photos from November 9 and 20 following)






Autumn became Thunderstorm Season- delayed from summertime. The abundant rains served to refresh the landscape – creeks, ponds, etc. - and to knock more autumn leaves down to the forest floor.




The Creek at the Barkless Log







The Creek, upstream from Cottonwood Pond - actually running again








The Creek running downstream from Cottonwood Pond




The "Goblin" of Cottonwood Pond

Did I see a glimmer of water at Cottonwood Pond, below the “goblin” face?

Yes! And clouded with sediment, evidence of strong flow into the area.









Cottonwood Pond, with Silas








Looking across Cottonwood Pond from the northwest - the Barkless Log, Inlet and Broken Blue Beech at the far end


The Cottonwood Trunk and Root Ball with "little pond" 


The water had arrived atop a thick layer of fallen leaves and other debris.




The broken section of thee Very Rotten Log was saturated with the new influx of water.





Flow paths were starting to become visible again, due to the resurgence of water as well as the thinning vegetation.

Temporary Creek #1, flowing toward the Swampy Spot


Water flows under the Trunk from the Swampy Spot toward "little pond"

Water also flows from the Swampy Spot (left) toward the Inlet, where it enters Cottonwood Pond



























The storms had also pushed more soil off of the Root Ball to the area below (the pile of soil was creeping further in to the bowl of earth) and exposed more roots to the ravages of weather, animals and other decomposing elements.

More fresh sediment on the Mud Pile

Soil and debris tumbling down to the water





The thinning edge of the Root Ball








This moistening and shifting of Root Ball soil was allowing the section of Broken Blue Beech over the Root Ball edge to sink lower toward the pond. Since the other section was no longer attached and was pulled by gravity on its rooted end, the upper end of it had pulled farther upward, to about 75 degrees above the pond.


The Broken Blue Beech - saplings growing from the base of the original tree (left)


Looking up into the new canopy of the Blue Beech saplings

Section near the Root Ball

Fungi on the above section


As for the Barkless Log below that, it was displaying a variety of life along its length, some encouraged by the rains.

Looking up the Barkless Log, from its root section toward Cottonwood Pond













Cottonwood Pond and its vicinity was an array of colors and textures settled on the forest floor, the water, the logs …

The "Goblin" wearing a leafy "beard" for the season

… and bright colors in the canopy, still with some green.

Blue Beech

Boxelder





I would continue to enjoy the parade of color on and around Cottonwood Pond.



*********************************************************************************

Further along in November:

Cottonwood Pond from afar:







November 9








November 20












Cottonwood Pond and the back slope









November 9









November 20












Cottonwood Pond and the adjacent area to the southeast (Swampy Spot, etc.)






November 9






November 20

November 20: front slope to southeast


November 20