Seven people and a dog met to take water quality measurements at the Grandale bridge and hike to see the spring flowers.
Tests of dissolved oxygen got readings of less than 1.02, then 11.02, and 1.
The turbidity was about zero, although the water was yellowish.
The water was relatively clear and a few inches lower. Some junk seems to have been pulled out of the Creek but not taken away. We found 4 bloodworms, 2 smaller unidentified tan-colored worms, one or two small water snails, and a waterflea. We observed water boatmen in shallows. We saw wild guppies, small fish splashes, and two or more adult mayflies (?). We found a Tiger Swallowtail with malformed wings and saw a small brown-orange butterfly. We heard toads or frogs over under the powerlines. The Japanese honeysuckle and elderberries are leafing out and the box elder by the bridge is flowering. The Jewelweed is coming up, and also Japanese stilt grass. A member noted the ash, elm, honeysuckle, blackberries, buttercups, spring-beauties, chervil (?), violets (blooming), bedstraw, and goldenrods nearby. The banks seem less covered, but will soon be mostly covered by plants probably.
Next we hiked along the Army Corps trail on the slope above the Creek west of Grandale, to the gasline cut. The Trout Lilies were almost all done flowering, but a few are still flowering and the nice foliage is still up. The spring-beauties were mostly closed because it wasn’t very sunny. The buckeyes have leafed out and will flower soon, and under a large buckeye we found lots of flowering rue anemone (wind flower). We found a closed liver leaf hepatica, a purple flower. Solomon’s Seal or a lookalike (?) is coming up. In fields the wild pansies are blooming. Many trees are starting to bloom, but haven’t leafed out much.
There were about 7 loud ATVs and a dirt bike driving along the power line. There were turkey and black vultures flying and geese in the swamp north of the old pond. We saw cricket frogs and a relatively large rodent at the marsh across Grandale from the pond.
