Georgia Backyard Nature

Lush Louisiana Irises

These magenta beauties are Louisiana irises blooming in the marsh. It’s a hardy variety that thrives in moist locations. I originally planted a few at the edge of the lake but several years ago the beaver replanted some of the rhizomes when he built his little pond. After he left, the water level dropped and the area became a lush marsh which is the perfect place for these iris to multiply.  I wish I had the nerve to head into the marsh and dig up a few rhizomes to move to the edge of the lake, but meeting a snake isn't on my agenda this spring.

Sycamore Saplings

 
 
 
It’s been over a year since the beaver left the lake but his work lives on. This stand of Sycamore saplings is growing on the dam he built to create his own little pond. When he dredged up mud for his earthworks, Sycamore nuts from a nearby tree must have been mixed in. There’s another clump of saplings not too far away.

Sycamore trees are ideally suited for this lakeside location since they prefer moist soil that doesn’t dry out. From a distance the bark looks a mottled grey, but up close you can see it’s a mixture of green, grey and tan, almost like camouflage. They are long-lived trees, sometimes reaching hundreds of years old, with aggressive root systems that can buckle sidewalks.

Unfortunately the little pond has dried up, but I’m amazed at how the furry lumberjack changed the landscape. In addition to the Sycamores, wild Willows are flourishing on his dam. Last spring, I discovered he’d planted Siberian Iris from my neighbor’s yard around the little pond and moved some of my Louisiana Iris there, too.

Even though the saplings seem to be flourishing, I’m betting they won’t last too long. Another beaver’s sure to show up in a year or two and need some building material.

Cypress Comeback

 

About this time last year, there was a beaver living in the lake and wreaking havoc with my landscape. He felled the  beautiful Bald Cypress tree in the picture above and stripped it bare. You can check out the account of his mayhem at

http://www.georgiabackyardnature.com/georgia_backyard_nature/2009/09/energetic-engineer-the-cypress-caper.html

But nature is resilient and you can see that the Bald Cypress isn’t dead—it’s coming back from the stump.

 

Of course, it'll never be the same beautiful tree it was before. Now it resembles a small bushy Christmas tree. Seeing it though, makes me wonder about that Beaver. Where is he? And better yet, is he out there waiting for my landscape to recover before staging his own comeback??? 

 

Marsh Mystery Tracks

 
 
Early one morning this week, I was enjoying my coffee while looking at the lake. But something unusual caught my attention. In the marshy area that used to be a small pond, there was a wide trail that looked odd—like something being dragged but with animal tracks on either side of the drag mark. It went from my lawn across the marsh toward the lake. You can see it between the two white lines in the photo.

I have no idea what made it, but I wonder if it could be a beaver. Could that be the mark a big flat tail makes as a beaver makes his way across the mud? This is the time of the year that young males strike out to establish their own territories. Maybe one was checking out the lake for succulent trees. Any guesses out there? 

Energetic Engineer Update - Left the Lake?

Although things seems to be back to normal for all the creatures after the heavy rain and floods of a few weeks ago, the beaver seems to have left the lake.

 

I’ve watched closely for any sign that he’s still around, but there isn’t any. No trees have been felled and the dams in my backyard haven’t been maintained.  Even though I branded him a nuisance after he took the willow and two bald cypresses, I had to admit to being a little sad that such an interesting and industrious critter isn’t around anymore. Or is he?

 

Yesterday I spotted a big pile of branches at the edge of the lake that wasn’t there a few weeks ago. Could it be a beaver lodge? It doesn’t look like something that occurred naturally during the heavy rains and resembles pictures of lodges in the internet.

 

I’m going to continue my watch to see if there’s any clue that he’s around. I hope he hasn’t given up on our lake and lingers for a while. He hasn’t finished his landscaping chores yet—he left that tasty wild willow that blocks my view!!   

Relentless Rain

You’ve heard all about the terrible flooding here in Georgia—rivers and creeks swelling over their banks, roads closed, homes under water, and the tragic loss of life. Here at the lake we were lucky, though. Even though the water rose pretty dramatically, it didn’t threaten the houses.

 

 

 

But I can’t help but wonder how the little creatures fared. I saw hummers struggling to sip nectar in the rain and snapped a bedraggled purple finch seeking refuge on my window sill. The bird feeders ran low and peanuts molded. My friend’s bird feeder even sprouted!! But the minute the rain let up, the backyard was full of birds, squirrels, and chipmunks trying to grab a meal. The hawk even showed up to hunt for frogs.

 

The beaver’s dams washed away by the torrent of water pouring into the lake from upstream. The little pond he created merged into the larger lake. All the food he stored for the winter, like that tasty willow tree, is probably gone, too. If he lingers in the lake, he’ll be pretty busy foraging and rebuilding. Unfortunately, I haven't seen anything that suggests he's still here.

 

I’m sure rabbit and fox burrows were flooded and deer retreated to high ground.  The herons and kingfishers will have a hard time fishing because it’s hard to spot a fish in the muddy water. But the good news is that nature is resilient and things will soon be back to normal in the backyard.

 

Click on the pictures for a better view!!

Energetic Engineer - The Cypress Caper

The beaver hasn’t been idle since the last update. He’s continued his lumberjacking endeavors by cutting down a pretty Bald Cypress tree that was about five years old. The Bald Cypress is a deciduous conifer that grows 50 to 70 feet tall. It does well in wet areas and this one had really shot up since the area was flooded by the previous beaver family. This is the before picture.

  

But this attack was different. He ate right through some of that plastic drain pipe that I’d put on the trunk to protect it from his kind.  I’ve used it on several young trees in the yard  and no other beavers had bothered trees  protected like this. Until now!! Last Sunday morning this is what I saw!!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Monday, the tree was down in the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the next few days, he systematically stripped the branches. This is how it looked on Thursday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And today? Only the trunk is left, but it’ll probably be gone tomorrow.

 

 

Even though this beaver's turning into a big nuisance and really annoying me, I still can’t help but admire this funny guy. He’s clever, a hard worker, and a lot more persistent that his predecessors.  Besides, he obviously appreciates my choice of trees!! Wonder what he’ll attack next??

 

Click on the pictures for a better view!!

Energetic Engineer Update - Thrifty Thief

Hopefully you aren’t tired of hearing about the beaver’s exploits, but he hasn’t been idle this week.  Last Friday he took down a young willow.  This is how it looked then.

 

 

 

On Sunday, I sawed off some of the limbs and stacked them to be disposed of. But I noticed on Monday, he’d been back and took all the branches that were left on the tree.  I felt bad that I’d robbed him of his prize and over the next three days, I put branches back in the water near the willow and each morning they were gone.  By Thursday the only thing that was left was the trunk, which was about 8-10 feet long.  I wondered if he’d take it little by little.

 

Today I got the answer. Last night he took the whole thing!! 

 

 

He’s a thrifty guy and nothing about that pretty tree will be wasted. I’ve heard that if submerged in water, willow will remain tasty for a long time. That tree was big enough to snack on for a while. But if it doesn’t make a meal, it’ll be great material for future projects. Waste not, want not!  

 

 

 

 

Energetic Engineer Update - Landscaping Lumberjack

The beaver is still on a mission to improve my yard!!  When those upstream dams washed out in the heavy rains, he didn’t build them back—so far. The little pond is now full and beautiful. But the beaver isn’t resting on his laurels.

 

I mentioned earlier that willows are the beaver’s very favorite tree. Well, he decided to make several meals out of a young one growing at the edge of the lake. Thursday a big hunk of the trunk was gone and the chicken wire was in the water. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday morning the tree was on the ground. It's amazing that he brought it down so nothing else was disturbed!

You can see the marks from his teeth on the trunk below.

 

 

Ironically, several years ago when this same willow was just a sapling, it survived having a beaver take the whole top off it.  It came back and thrived, but no more!!

As annoying as it is to lose a pretty tree, I can’t get too mad. I think he was right to take it down since it was in a bad location. Willows get pretty huge, so he probably did me a favor in the long run. Too bad he didn’t focus on the young wild willow that blocks my view. But he’ll probably take care of that one, too. That's enough, though!!  No more tree cutting in my yard, please.

 

Click on the pictures for a better view!!

Energetic Engineer Update--The Saga Continues!

Well, the beaver can give and he can take away!!  In the last update, you saw how he shored up his previous work and raised the water level in my back yard. The beaver just can’t rest on his earthworks!!  Now see what he’s done!!  Not content with the water level in my backyard, he’s gone upstream and built at least two new dams and choked off the stream’s course through my yard.

Now:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three weeks ago: 

 

Without any rain, the little pond that was so pretty is now a big mud hole and all the aquatic life--minnows, tadpoles, dragonfly larvae--are at risk!! I can only hope that he’s included some spillways upstream. That way, after the water level satisfies him, the excess will flow into the lake again.  Or maybe he’s diverted the stream into the lake at a different location.  The wetlands are so dense with grass and trees, I can’t tell. But it gives a great opportunity to see his construction methods—notice how he dredged up mud to create the dams.

 

Unfortunately, the beaver’s natural instinct to alter the landscape frequently is at odds with his human neighbors’ landscape plans and property values. That leads to conflicts and beavers are often trapped or killed, which is a shame.

 

Even though that mud hole isn’t an attractive water feature. I’d never want him harmed. He’s just doing what beavers do and will move on eventually. The mudhole will probably dry up and become a small meadow that the deer, rabbits, and birds will love. Besides, I’m fascinated to find out what engineering marvels he’ll come up with next!

 

More will follow, I’m sure!! Click on the pictures for a better view!!