guzzlers and other small freshwater sites

The Reserve maintains several human-made freshwater sites. A few are large seasonal ponds and some are much smaller. These smaller freshwater spring substitutes we call guzzlers, originally put in in the 80's. We have 18 in all.

 

Most of the guzzlers have native vegetation and cover providing refuge for lots of different critters. My goal is to recreate conditions that might exist at a freshwater spring site. Few of these reference sites remain in the watershed, but there are some.

We also have two small excavated areas that hold freshwater some months of the year. Right now, when all other large ponds are dry, these two smaller ones continue to hold water since the recent 4 inch rain event.

Shirley Murphy investigates one of the smaller ponds.

 

images of the week

This praying mantis was near one of our freshwater guzzlers.

This guzzler just had a face lift (thank you Shirley Murphy!) with new native plants and a brush pile for refuge.

Rush rose (Helianthemum scoparium) seeds about to go into the toaster oven. 250 degrees for 5 minutes helps them to germinate.

Rush rose seeds.

Found this beauty while I was moving bricks.

Deerweed (Lotus scoparius) seeds.

Deerweed seeds in a hot water bath. You know, to help them grow.

And who is this sweet heartbreaker and why is she in the Slough images of the week? Well, I picked her up after work as she charged out of the marsh into the busy Elkhorn Rd. She's safely at a shelter, and if no one claims her. . .let's just say she made an impression on me in the 15 hours we spent together.