On the Verge: The Vernal Equinox

On the Verge: The Vernal Equinox

March 20 2018

The Beginning of Spring Snow ...

The woodland to the north of Cottonwood Pond

Quietly, quietly ....

The woodland, looking southeast

More, and more ...

What happens next? ....

Racing Waters, Rising Plants

Racing Waters, Rising Plants

March 18, 2018

It was that time of year, when both plants and waters rise, both urged on by steady rains.

Woodland above Cottonwood Pond, to the southeast - not much green can be seen from a distance

Woodland to the north of Cottonwood Pond - green patches can be seen from a distance - unfortunately the invasive Star-of-Bethlehem

I have discovered that Star-of Bethlehem has also been growing on the Root Ball Top, erosion pushing some clumps further down - should I remove it, or leave it for awhile to see what it does? I do not want it to reach the area below.

Another invasive plant that shows up this time of year, as early rosettes of leaves, is the Garlic Mustard. If allowed to remain, it will send up a tall stalk of flowers and eventually produce many seeds. You can bet this one was pulled up by the roots, as well as any others I came across.

(Now on to the native plants ...)

Spring Beauty

Young Appendaged Waterleaf

Cut-Leaved Toothwort in bud

Virginia Bluebells rising

Harbinger-of-Spring still blooming, stems lengthening

Elderberry leaves getting a little bit bigger

Jewelweed on the Mud Pile (and elsewhere) - still in the cotyledon stage 

(no "true leaves" showing yet)

There were some signs of animal life, too – some springing to life, some remnants from the previous year, recently uncovered by new conditions.

Tiny spiders skittered over the leaves on the floor of the woodland and the bottom land

Large hole at the base of the Mud Pile (possibly made by a Crawdad) - it was probably covered by pond water during heavy rains

Rainfall, erosion and falling bark uncover secrets on the Cottonwood Trunk - here the translucent shell of a "true bug" (I do not know the species)

Another revealing on the Cottonwood Trunk - the hard, bleached remains of some kind of tiny creature with many segments, curled into a circle

Life was bubbling up in the ponds, which had time to settle and evaporate a little since the previous rain.

An abundance of algae had been growing around plant debris. Here had developed a foundation for other forms of aquatic life.

And, I knew that Chorus Frogs were hiding somewhere, waiting for me to leave so they could resume their mating calls.

Though pond waters were somewhat low and very calm, there were also signs that water had recently been raging over and through the area.

Rushing waters sculpt pond edges into new configurations

The Creek upstream from Cottonwood Pond

Sediment deposition patterns in the Creek, carried from further upstream

The "island" (middle) being gradually formed by diverted water when the Creek is strong

The fluffy seeds of a Sycamore tree seed head have been exploded across the flat near Cottonwood Pond, from rushing water

A chunk of tree root broken from the Root Ball some time ago has been pushed beyond the pond and onto the Flat by rushing water

Mud flat next to the Two-Trunk White Ash (next to the Isthmus) - formed by rushing water that also exposed Crawdad holes

Temporary Creek #1 had been running strong into the Swampy Spot

Evidence of strong water flow under the Trunk, running from the Swampy Spot to the "little pond" area

Evidence that Temporary Creek #2 had been flowing out from the "little pond" area

The Seep, through more than one channel, was running strongly from the pond (top) 

to the Creek (bottom)

Water had been rushing toward the Inlet, into the main pond

Some of these may seem like small changes, but they are happening more quickly, and becoming exponentially larger changes. Things will be mighty interesting from here on out!

A new pond-ering: Will Temporary Creek #1 and Temporary Creek #2 eventually join to become a strong, complete tributary to the main Creek? If so, will such a creek pull any water from nearby watery areas, or will those low areas only slow down the new creek near Cottonwood Pond?

Newly revealed: Fungal mycelia between bark and wood of the Cottonwood Trunk

Bitternut nestled on a Blue Beech leaf nestled on the Mud Pile

The Dawn of Early Spring

The Dawn of Early Spring

March 4, 2018

My visit on March 4 showed me plenty of evidence from the heavy rains that had hit during the previous week, and I was also shown very early, yet clear, signs of spring.

Water had rushed well over the Creek banks, pushing debris far downstream and sweeping away Crawdad chimneys, leaving a plethora of naked holes behind.

The ragged Creek, upstream from Cottonwood Pond

The ragged Creek near Cottonwood Pond

The ragged Creek downstream from Cottonwood Pond - carving new channels

This can, which someone had tossed from the road way, way upstream, appeared in the flat area between Cottonwood Pond and the Creek

Crawdad holes along the Creek

Creek water pushing through Crawdad holes at Creek's edge

Near the Barkless Log, where the Creek pools close to the log, water had taken a sharp turn to the southwest, then another to the northwest. Some water had pushed straight through on the downstream side of the log. This appeared to be the early makings of an “island” between the old curve and the new channel being formed. Would this eventually result in a miniaturized version of an “oxbow lake”, as forms next to our very old, large, meandering rivers?

Further downstream, near the Very Rotten Log, the running Creek was disappearing into a hole, then reappearing further downstream in the section where logs cris-cross the Creek.

Creek water disappears (note worm trails on mud) ...

... and reappears later.

An even greater change had occurred at the pond itself. It appeared that water had rushed and pushed beyond the pond's edge and outward across the flat area between the pond and Creek, then connected with the Seep. From the edge of the pond outward there was a wide, smooth area with flattened vegetation, pointing to the direction of flow.

A full Inlet, where water enters the main pond at the southeast end

Where water had been rushing through the Inlet

This had blended so well with the Seep that it was hard to tell them apart, even though the Seep channels had been more strongly carved than previous times. Water had spread alongside the Very Rotten Log and over the whole area.

Silas observes the Seep and other carved-out areas

Looking up the Very Rotten Log from its mud-covered base

Where the Seep meets the Creek - a wider flow than usual

The Isthmus was very distinct. Water had even flowed all around the Two-Trunk White Ash. A mud flat had developed between “little pond” and Temporary Creek #2 – and there was plenty of evidence that Temporary Creek #2 had been steadily flowing from there to the main Creek upstream.

The Isthmus

The Isthmus

Silas sitting on part of the mud flats caused by the strong flow of Temporary Creek #2

Where water flows from the Swampy Spot to the Trunk, and under it to the "little pond" area

The trail of Temporary Creek #2

Of course, plenty of action had taken place at Temporary Creek #1, which feeds into the Swampy Spot, which overflows to the pond Inlet and also under the Trunk to “little pond” and Temporary Creek #2.

Cottonwood Pond area (left) and Swampy Spot area (to the right)

Temporary Creek #1, which drains into the Swampy Spot

Swampy Spot flow toward the Trunk

Flow under the Trunk from Swampy Spot to "little pond" area

Besides the rushing water of springtime, there were other early spring signs:

Leaves of Spring Beauty appearing - these near a log with moss and lichen

On the slope - unfortunately, the very invasive Star-of-Bethlehem is the first plant to pop up through the leaves, bright green, but there are leaves of native plants starting to appear here, too

Cotyledons of Jewelweed appear in muddy spots now

A baby Honewort plant, splattered with mud from the rushing water

Tiny beginnings of Cleavers peaking up through the leaves - later they will be trailing and twining across the floor

The opening of Elderberry leaves

A wild Cherry tree on the slope oozing plenty of sap (that stick was stuck firmly to it)

Spider webs appearing in the leaf litter

Signs of busy-ness: worm holes (?) on the soggy mud hole above the pond

The bright blue sky and white, fluffy clouds made the atmosphere look and feel more like spring than winter, despite the cold air.

All of my senses told me spring was on the way, that the forest floor, the water and mud, and the trees were all springing to life, or were just about to do so. Birds had already been belting out spring songs and calls. Woodpeckers had been pounding out aural messages to each other and tidying up nest holes from the previous year. Sandhill Cranes flew over, with their burbly calls, and Chorus Frogs were singing.

I could look forward to tadpoles in the pond, new nests in trees, more variety of animal tracks on the mud, and a forest floor so covered with wildflowers that I would be afraid to walk through and step on them.

Views of Cottonwood Pond:

From the north/northwest

From the southeast (note how far the sections of the Broken Blue Beech have separated)

From the north/northwest, at a distance (new mud flats very obvious)