July 23, 2010

All the animals around Lake Wicwas are getting larger as the summer progresses.  I saw the fawn this morning; it's getting big - it now bounds quickly and directly to the thick woods rather than bouncing every which way.  And the small creatures are growing also, including the Water Spiders.  Last weekend I found a discarded exoskelton on the dock

and this weekend I found this guy in our boat.  Note the deformed left rear leg, although it doesn't seem to be holding him back much.

I also found a large egg mass in about two feet of water.   It is about six inches long, and attached to a stick they way salamanders deposit their eggs, but I don't know if that's what these eggs are.  I'll watch it over time and see if I can figure it out.  Any ideas?

With the little bit of rain we had there were lots of Red Efts on the trails today, but not much other wildlife visible.  And the Blueberries are still going strong - plentiful and sweet.  This afternoon I picked a beautiful batch; we'll be having blueberry dessert tonight!