Joseph Meyer on Nostr: In addition to the three empty ponds, there is a place in the otherwise dry bed of ...
In addition to the three empty ponds, there is a place in the otherwise dry bed of Slaughter Creek where I have always found water. The last time I visited, I saw fishes 10-12 inches long, suggesting its reliability allows fish to grow to a large size, or large fish are carried into the spot from other bodies of water when we get heavy enough rains to produce flooding. Today I revisited that place.
As I approached, I heard the crackling of twigs and leaves, then saw a white-tailed deer doe running away. I next saw the water, just as before, and 2-3 turtles were floating with heads poking up through the surface. Hoof prints from deer were evident in the mud around the water’s edge, the water itself a bit murky and hard to see into because of wading activity. I caught a brief glimpse of a small frog as it hopped into the pool. Smartweed grows in the moist soil close to the water. Ashe juniper, live oak, cedar elm, rattle bush, and pink evening primrose grow farther away on the dry land adjacent to the creek.
Taking a seat on the trunk of a fallen tree, several feet from the water’s edge, I saw dragonflies circling above the water’s surface. Then I noticed something I had not seen before—wakes were being made by creatures swimming just below the water’s surface and seemingly following the paths of the dragonflies. If the dragonflies had descended too close to the water’s surface, perhaps fish beneath the wakes would have leapt up to make meals out of them. There was a slight breeze. Falling leaves from overhanging cedar elm trees were landing and floating on the water’s surface. A wasp gradually descended and landed on one floating leaf. It paused there, drinking for several seconds, before flying away. A larger mud dauber wasp was busy in the mud at the water’s edge. Soon a squirrel began scolding behind me, apparently annoyed that I was in its territory. I turned to watch as it gradually summoned the courage to descend to the water’s edge for several drinks. From my pocket, I dug out a plastic bag of roasted almonds and tossed several toward the squirrel after it finished drinking. It did not partake, but perhaps it did after I departed, which I did when a deer began snorting in the nearby woods. (2/3)
As I approached, I heard the crackling of twigs and leaves, then saw a white-tailed deer doe running away. I next saw the water, just as before, and 2-3 turtles were floating with heads poking up through the surface. Hoof prints from deer were evident in the mud around the water’s edge, the water itself a bit murky and hard to see into because of wading activity. I caught a brief glimpse of a small frog as it hopped into the pool. Smartweed grows in the moist soil close to the water. Ashe juniper, live oak, cedar elm, rattle bush, and pink evening primrose grow farther away on the dry land adjacent to the creek.
Taking a seat on the trunk of a fallen tree, several feet from the water’s edge, I saw dragonflies circling above the water’s surface. Then I noticed something I had not seen before—wakes were being made by creatures swimming just below the water’s surface and seemingly following the paths of the dragonflies. If the dragonflies had descended too close to the water’s surface, perhaps fish beneath the wakes would have leapt up to make meals out of them. There was a slight breeze. Falling leaves from overhanging cedar elm trees were landing and floating on the water’s surface. A wasp gradually descended and landed on one floating leaf. It paused there, drinking for several seconds, before flying away. A larger mud dauber wasp was busy in the mud at the water’s edge. Soon a squirrel began scolding behind me, apparently annoyed that I was in its territory. I turned to watch as it gradually summoned the courage to descend to the water’s edge for several drinks. From my pocket, I dug out a plastic bag of roasted almonds and tossed several toward the squirrel after it finished drinking. It did not partake, but perhaps it did after I departed, which I did when a deer began snorting in the nearby woods. (2/3)