[To see stories and photos from other years, see the links on the main Wetland page.]
This was the year of Beaver Lake. The beavers enlarged their dam so that it made a large lake upstream from our driveway. We enjoyed the lake, and all the creatures that visited it, until it washed out the driveway.
1/7/2017
3/20/2017 The beavers started working on their dam, and the lake started growing.
4/3/2017 Beaver Lake, with the beginnings of a lodge behind the tree in the middle.
4/3/2017
4/3/2017
4/4/2017 The beavers working hard on their dam.
4/6/2017
4/6/2017
4/7/2017 The lake extends a long way upstream.
4/7/2017 View of the creek from Sumac Prairie
4/11/2017 Snow on blooming willows
4/11/2017 The dam now covers our culvert. There’s still water flowing through, but they’re using the road as part of the dam.
4/11/2017
4/11/2017
4/11/2017
4/14/2017 The beaver’s lodge
4/14/2017 Upstream from the dam
4/14/2017
4/15/2017
4/19/2017 The lake finally overflowed our driveway.
4/19/2017
4/21/2017 We decided to try reducing the height of the lake.
4/24/2017 Mike did most of the work. He would take the dam down a foot or two during the day.
4/28/2017 And the beavers would build it up again at night.
5/10/2017 Marsh Marigolds
5/10/2017 Beaver Lake was creeping up again.
5/17/2017 And again it washed out our driveway. We finally decided we needed to take out the dam – the beavers would have to build somewhere else.
6/3/2017 Flooding downstream from the driveway.
7/2/2017 Small dam in Willow Bend
7/2/2017 Willow Bend
7/2/2017 Willow Bend; We’ve been trying to control Wild Parsnip along the banks of the creek. Mike mows the worst places, and I pull the rest.
7/2/2017 Willow Bend
7/2/2017 Beaver Lake is gone – the creek is back to its normal size.
7/14/2017 We have quite a few areas that look like this – sedges and other natives mixed with Reed Canary Grass. I can’t tell if the dense sedges are choking out the Reed Canary Grass, or if the Reed Canary Grass is invading previously all native vegetation.
7/6/2017 Water Hemlock
7/13/2017 Michigan Lily
7/13/2017
7/22/2017
7/24/2017 I spent a lot of time pulling Wild Parsnip this year, but I can see much progress. Mike still mows the worst of it, and I pull the rest. Some areas, where I’ve been pulling the longest, have much less parsnip that they used to.
8/21/2017 Monarch on Joe Pye Weed
8/21/2017 Parsnip Meadow – this field used to be all Wild Parsnip. We’ve had it sprayed a few times, and we’ve mowed and I’ve pulled lots of Parsnip. It’s much better now – mostly native flowers, not many weeds.
8/21/2017 Giant Swallowtails on Swamp Thistle
8/28/2017
8/31/2017 Tall Sunflower
9/11/2017 Wetland, Pine Point Prairie and Big View Prairie
9/11/2017
12/22/2017
