It is now mid November and most of the leaves are now off the deciduous trees and the evergreens now dominate the wooded landscape. The beaver lodge can again be clearly seen from the driveway to the nature center at the opposite end of Lake Odonata.
A closer inspection of the lodge shows that the beavers are still actively adding mud (near the bottom) and fresh sticks (top) to insulate the lodge for winter.
On the lawn in front of the nature center, common violets, confused by the moderate temperatures, are blooming again. It is not uncommon for some spring wildflowers to bloom again in the fall since the light and temperature condition can be very similar.
Another flower can never seems to go away is the dandelion. And there are several blooming in the sunny lawn areas.
This was a good year for the Redbud trees and many are loaded with "bean like" seed pods that rattle when the cold wind blows. The seed pods hint that the Redbud is a member of the Legume Family.
A late fungus arrival is the Giant Puffball. Hopefully I will get to see how big this one will get this year. Because its location is near a high traffic area when the preserve is open, these fungi are unfortunately often the target a little boy feet. Perhaps the soccer instinct is just too strong and splat...no more fungi.
Posted by TS
