Wetlands

The beaver home. This pile of beaver-cut branches is in a place that does not seem to be disturbed by people. The beaver enters this home thru an underwater passage.

Beaver dam. This dam is located just east of the end of the townhouses on the wetlands. To the right, just out of view, is a large pile of sticks and mud. The sticks and mud have been piled on the bank as people have repeatedly dismantled this dam.

Last week there was a ladder over the fence going to the expensive house with the pond and willow trees. On Wednesday at about noon two people used the ladder to cross the fence. They headed toward this beaver dam carrying tools. A while later I could see the water start to flow in the creek so I presume they breached the beaver dam.

Five days later I found this small beaver dam. The pile of sticks and mud is higher. A week later the beaver dam was completely gone.

As individuals, we have a choice between having a drainage ditch or having a creek. As a community we do not have that choice as the people who desire a drainage ditch make that choice for us. But the beaver, with persistence, may prevail.

Upstream from the beaver dam it is easy to see how much the water level has recently dropped. Before the dam was removed the water level had reached the bottom of this fence. This springtime the water level had been higher still. At that time the water was going over the bank and into the large field. This springtime flooding has made a dramatic change in the plants growing in the field.

Near the bridge the beaver has recently attacked an Oregon Ash.

A couple weeks ago I took Yan to the airport very early in the morning. When I returned it was bright enough to see, so I took a walk in the wetlands. The plants were covered with dew and I got rather wet. There was a mist over the field.

I was thrilled to find Northern Water Plantain (Alisma triviale ) growing in the wetlands. I had heard of plantain but had not previously found them. The flowers are very small. I was unable to find a flower to photograph.

On the developing seeds of the plantain I found this small snail (or slug?). How did it get there?

This is orange jewelweed (Impatiens capensis ) which I have seen at our local Nature Park. I find this flower quite mysterious. What insect or bird could reach into this flower all the way to the end to get the nectar? I suspect there is no nectar there. Although the flower looks somewhat like a nastursium it is not built the same way. The whole orange funnel can fall off, leaving the stem with a growing seed at the end.

This is bittersweet nightshade, a common (but not native) plant in wet areas. The flowers are somewhat like the flowers of tomatoes and potatoes and it is placed in the same family. But this is a poisonous plant.

Here is another wetland plant that I was very happy to see. It is Lady's Thumb (Persicaria maculosa ). In many flower photos you can find insects. Here, a bee made an unexpected appearance. More common is the white spider that you can find hiding in the center of this flower.

First, I knelt down next to the creek to pull some small blackberries. Then I noticed the speedwell flowers (probably Veronica americana) that had fallen into the water that was covered in duckweed (probably Lemna minor). Then, when taking the photo I noticed the very small duckweed (probably Lemna minuta). Finally, when examining the photo I noticed the aquatic insects. You can see a couple in the upper left corner. Each time we get closer we see more. Perhaps I should take a sample of this water so that I can view it with my microscope.

Ladybug.

So far I have discovered two types of frogs. There was this frog that allowed me to photograph it. The other type of frog I have yet to see, clearly. When I get close to the water the other type of frog emits a scream and jumps into the water before I can see it. The scream is not real loud but it is startling. And then I see the splash. This happens even when I try to be stealthy. I presume the scream helps the frog get the air out of its lungs. The frog needs to sink. Otherwise, it would be easy to catch.

Frogs in the making: tadpoles. Frogs start out as fish. We make that easier to believe by calling them tadpoles rather than fish.

Notice the amber spot at the front end of the wing on this dragonfly. I was surprised to find this spot on different types of dragonflies. The spot is formed because the wing is thick. The added thickness at the leading edge has been found to help the dragonfly glide better.

Dragonflies attack other insects while they are flying. The eyes are a large portion of the head, presumably to help the dragonfly see the insects it attacks. They are fast, have great maneuverability, have great eyesight but they can't walk. (Or maybe they just don't want to walk.)

It is unusual to see a mushroom just as it breaks the surface of the earth. So I was surprised to find this mushroom just poking thru the dirt.

A closer look revealed two golf balls.

Celery

Tomatoes

I would say there is less junk being tossed into the Wetland from the townhouses than from the residences. For the last couple months all that I have found have been corn cobs. Eventually, they will degrade but it seems to be taking much longer than I had expected. The salad stuff and some yard debris are being chucked into the wetland to the east of the townhomes.

As individuals we have a choice of using the wetland area as a trash and yard debris dumping area or we can treat it as a natural area. As a community it will probably always be a dumping area since it is just so easy for some to toss junk over the wall.

This is tansy ragwort. It is an attractive flower. However, it makes lots of seeds and can take over an area. I have removed one patch and a few isolated plants. On my last couple trips I found just one flowering plant.

I have removed one patch of English ivy that was near Bethany Boulevard. I check on this area weekly. This is all that I found a few weeks ago. I continue to find a few blackberrys. But no large bushes in the townhome area.