Follow Along with us Today

Today is a continuation of yesterday.  We didn't get finished because of a downpour.  This is when we check water levels on the impoundments, record what wildlife we see, and get numbers from trail counters to figure our visitation.

On the left is the gauge and on the right is the counter.

We have about 35 water impoundments we read and 7 trail counters at various places on the refuge.             

This is a branch from a Tamarack tree.  I mentioned this tree earlier as the lumber we used to make the sawhorses.  The leaves are in clusters of 8 or more.  The cones are small, about 3/4 inches long, light         brown, and borne erect on stout stems.                     

As we rounded a corner, we came upon a bear that       took off as soon as he saw us.  We didn't get a good picture of it, but we got out of the truck to check out his tracks.  You can at least see where his nails dug in as he ran off.                                                          

                                      

This is my picture of a Cedar Waxwing.  They love berries from the Serviceberry Tree (you can see the berries in the background).  The seeds can be eaten by humans too.  We have a huge one at headquarters.

 I promised a better picture of the little British Soldiers (lichen) and here it is.  Lichens look much brighter       after a rain.                                                                                                              

This is a picture of Candy Lichen.  It looks like bubble gum.  They, as well as the British Soldiers, are very small.  I told you, I like lichen!!!

These are 8 by 10 interp panels we place around our trails.  We just got a shipment of l8 of these for one of our new trails (Charlotte Trail).  Bill, our project leader asked me to find a place for them.  Alrighty then.  We had some extra time this afternoon, so we took some flags out on the trail to mark them where each one should go because the YCC kids will be digging holes and putting the posts in the ground at the correct spot.
That is where I found this little gem of a flower, new to me.  That makes it exciting...discovery!!

This is a Nodding Trillium.  When I saw the leaf, I immediately knew that flower was hiding underneath.  Wonderful things can be found when we go a step further.  My flower book is getting filled with all my discoveries.  I date it just as I do my bird book.

So I will leave you as I nod off.  See ya later.