Wetlands

Beaver Activity

Recently cut willow.

The photo on the left was taken on November 11, 2019. The weeping willow still has leaves. The beaver dam was holding back water but only a very small amount of water was going over the berm. I was able to walk to the far side of the of the field. The photo on the right was taken on December 23, 2019. It had been raining and water was actively flowing over the berm and into the pasture which has now become a lake. I could not imagine crossing the berm to the far side of the field.

December 24, 2019, and the field is flooded. Lots of water is actively flowing thru the field.

A white egret was enjoying the wetlands. In the photo on the right there are also mallard ducks.

This plant grows near the creek. The thorny stems grow straight up, over my head, with thorns only part way up. The seeds look like rose hips so this may be a rose. Next year I will pay attention to the flowers. The thorns get my attention when I back into this plant.

The alder trees are without leaves but they have produced male catkins (on the right) that will produce pollen in the spring to fertilize green cones. Here, we also see last year's cones that have turned brown. Later, they will release their seeds. In the background you can see buds forming that will eventually make next year's leaves.

Cattails. The hot-dog is the female part of the plant and it is composed of seeds. Above the hot-dog is the male part of the plant which produced pollen but has now withered.

Two views of a tree branch. We see at least two kinds of lichen. The yellow lichen has mushroom-like structures which produce spores from the top surface. The other lichen is silver-gray. Lichen are combination of fungus and algae. The fungus provides the structure and the algae contain chlorophyll and produce sugars using sunlight. Some of the sugars are shared with the fungus. This form of life may seem very strange; Two very different types of life working together.

The structure of people is determined by our animal cells. These cells determine the color of our eyes, our bone placement and how our digestive system is built. Within our digestive system lives many kinds of bacteria. These bacteria help us digest our food by turning complex molecules into sugars. The bacteria share these sugars with us while our bodies provide a home to the bacteria. Two very different forms of life working together.

When the trees and shrubs have leaves we often don't see the lichen. But in winter with the leaves gone we can see that some of the branches are covered with lichen. The lichen are slow growing and are there year after year.

The lichen are not parasites. They take no nutrients from the tree. They get everything they need from the air and the sun.

In this photo we see three different types of lichen. One of the shrubby types consists of tiny, branching tubes. The other shrubby type has branches that look like pulled taffy. Then close to the branch is a leafy type of lichen. It has a dark side that faces the branch and a gray side that we see.

This lichen is growing in the cracks of our rock wall. It forms structures that often look like miniature golf tees.

Two views of a tree branch. From a distance the branch may appear lighter or painted with gray. Closer, we see that the branch is coated with a lichen. In some places we see disk-like structures that produce spores. Between these structures the lichen coats the branch.

Moss on a tree. Moss consists of very small leaves that are connected to a stem. The stem provides mechanical support but unlike typical plants the stem can not transport water or nutrients. So every leaf must absorb water and nutrients from the air. When moss is dry it goes dormant. When typical plants go dry they die. But moss can survive long periods without water.

On the left we see moss that has a feather structure while the moss on the right forms long strands.

This moss is growing on our rock wall. In this side view you can see many stalks growing out of the moss. At the end of each stalk is a structure somewhat like a miniature salt shaker called a sporangium. Spores are formed in the sporangium. When the wind blows some of the spores may be dispersed. Like lichen and ferns, moss does not have flowers. But lichen, ferns and moss do have sexual reproduction using microscopic spores.

In this photo you can see sporangia still partly hidden in the moss. When the time is right the sporangia will pop up and spread spores.

Also in this photo, notice the color of the rock. There are dark patches and lighter patches and even some yellowish spots. Probably all of the darker patches are lichen. Basically, the whole rock is covered with a crust of lichen. Next time you see your neighbor power washing his driveway, he is probably removing the lichen.

A small mushroom grows out of the moss. Moss is sometimes one of the first plants to grow on a rock, the ground or on a tree. The moss will help dirt and other nutrients collect. Later, other plants will use the soil that has been made by the moss.