Treework, Field Mowing & Indian Summer

At about the size of a dime, this Eastern Tailed Blue is the smallest
and most common blue butterfly found in Ohio -- it had me on the move trying
to capture its exquisite detail on another Indian Summer afternoon

The days are definitely getting shorter -- and fast -- but with nearly an entire week with afternoon highs in the seventies, it's truly hard to believe that November is right around the corner. I spent most of my last day at the marsh (last Thursday) sweating through a couple t-shirts. It hardly felt like the second half of October . . .

Roy and I spent the majority of that day clearing "debris" in preparation for a "field mow." I put both terms in quotations because the "field" is actually the ~six-acre former woodlot that we concentrated on back in the spring. [You can read about our initial efforts through some of my earlier posts: Step 1 of a Woodlot Restoration and Step 1 of a Woodland Restoration, continued . . .]

And the "debris" is a broad term -- it consisted mostly of smaller chunks of wood (mainly pieces of trunks, stumps, and roots). But it also included (1) a few newly fallen trees (four of the ~65 large specimens that we salvaged that didn't quite make it through the season's winds) and (2) dozens of thick necks of wine bottles cast into the thick understory years ago. This jagged green glassware has a story worth retelling (probably best for its own post), but suffice it to say the sharpened ends would make fast work of an unsuspecting tractor tire sidewall. So they had to be picked up before Roy could get going on the mower.

BEFORE: The "Tower Woods" restoration site just after noon on Thursday -- a complete hodgepodge of annuals
(mostly ag weeds) has taken over much of the understory since the removal of invasive bush honeysuckle and dead ash
trees last March; after a few hours on foot, things were picked up just enough that Roy could get underway with the mower

AFTER: The Tower Woods from a similar vantage point just before 5:00 Thursday afternoon;
what a difference a few hours makes with a brush hog mower and chainsaw!

Between bouncing around on the tractor (Roy) and lugging a chainsaw and downed limbs (me), both of us were pretty well ready to tag out by late in the afternoon. We probably have another 6-8 hours of tag-teaming left to ready the site for the transition to winter -- and eventually spring . . . when we will be planting 1,100 new tree seedlings on the site. Now that we know we can handle it with a tractor/mower, our management options expand for weed management after tree planting. It's going to be a lot of work, and (unlike marsh management) a lot of time. But eventually, we look forward to a new crop of woody habitat to infill among the towering canopy of hackberry, locust, maple, and other tree survivors.

I'll end this post the way I started: with a cool insect -- this Autumn Meadowhawk (see p. 61) is a classic
holdout for the late season bliss of Indian Summer

Sunny sumac leaves were lousy with these little predators (I watched them zero in on a handful of mosquitoes and midges
while I changed out of my work boots); but just because there were lots of them, it doesn't mean they were easy to
capture in a clear frame!

This particular male was the most cooperative, but I still wish I could have better captured the brilliance of his
red coloration -- autumn just seems to know how to bring out the reds!

Photo Monitoring with the Critter Getter

My nine year old son was so inspired by Rare (see July 11th) that we decided we need to start putting together our own
"photo ark" of unique species for the property; he helped me capture this image of a Wandering Glider

Yesterday proved to be one of -- if not the -- most satisfying days I've had in the field so far this field season. Practically speaking, I was able to complete my newly established photo-monitoring on the eastern half of the property effectively and efficiently (in about four hours) to visually capture changes related to our drawdown. But personally, I had the satisfaction of sharing the time with my nine-year-old son, Anderson.

Despite 85+ degrees and plenty of intense and sustained sunshine, my faithful companion did not miss a beat. He had the option of staying in town for a pool party with a good group of friends, or putting on jeans and work cloths for a day at the marsh. He didn't hesitate -- when given the option to come, or when shown what the day's project would entail. He was all in.

Anderson is what I call a "critter getter," meaning he is always game to chase whatever there is to pursue. Whether it be frogs (perhaps his favorite pursuit), turtles, minnows, butterflies, or lizards (on trips south), Anderson tends to have a bit of a one-track mind. Like father, like son, I guess.

Yesterday, we both had the distinct pleasure of witnessing an explosion of life from a fascinating group I've had my mind on a lot lately -- Odonata. Odonates are an order of carnivorous insects, encompassing the dragonflies and the damselflies. With informal grouping names like dancers, skimmers, cruisers, darners, bluets, spreadwings, forktails and clubtails, meadowhawks and pondhawks, it's hard not to be intrigued.

I am a complete rookie when it comes to identifying this general taxon. I'm already anticipating a new passion/obsession because chasing these guys with a decent camera is kind of like pursuing songbirds for the first time with a good pair of binocs. The Canon was a window into a whole new world, and Anderson and I found ourselves routinely interrupted from our landscape monitoring in pursuit of the perfect insect photo. Many "got away," but as the images here demonstrate, we "caught" a fair number on camera, too. Anderson routinely corralled the fast-fliers toward me, served as my spotter as they jumped from stem to leaf, and then highfived me in congratulations each time I got the shot.

We ended up with about sixty wildlife images to go with the 59 monitoring photos we needed. I obviously don't have space to show them all (even the best of them all) here, so I'll try to post again later this week with some more cool plants and insects. I postulate that our drawdown coupled with recent high temps has lead to a proliferation of "dragons" and damselflies, so I'll try to get back out soon to capture more. Based on preliminary reading, it looks like 160+ species live in or migrate through Ohio . . . and not surprisingly, wetlands along the Lake Erie coast tend to be a hotbed. I'm pretty familiar with their complex life cycles (mostly spent in water), but I have a lot to learn in terms of diversity. I'm hoping it's something the kids and I can learn together.

We enjoyed watching these Eastern Pondhawks all day long

Thanks to Linda Gilbert of the Geauga Park District for properly identifying this female Widow Skimmer;
the yellow in this photo appeared even more gold in person

Thanks again to Linda Gilbert (Geauga Park District) for clarifying that this is an orange-form female Eastern Forktail;
they may be small, but their color packs a punch

I spent a good deal of time yesterday trying to get classic poses for identification and reference, but in some (rare) cases, the subjects were so cooperative, that I had to try to get in for a closer look. Make sure you click on the images below to appreciate some of the detail. And trust me, there are images out there that make these look like finger paintings. Still, these macro shots really have me curious to observe, photograph, and learn more.

Note remnant of an insect meal on the front, left leg -- hopefully what's
left of a mosquito!

Anderson at work in the East Marsh