Hoffler, Paradise, and Blackwater

Visited a bunch of field sites today, starting with Hoffler Creek. We split the two transects between the 6 of us today so everything moved really smoothly. There weren't as many lone stars as I would normally expect, but I did find one Ixodes (black legged tick) which is always exciting.

We tried to stop by Paradise Creek to check for dog ticks again, but construction was going on today so we will have to save that for another day.

After a quick stop for nutrients (slurpees) we flagged for ticks at Blackwater. I remembered to bring my camera today to capture all four of the field sites and some wildlife.

Our first transect the upland area that is not burned aka NBU

 Area where we run out transect, flagging both into and out of the wooded area

Our second transect the bottomland area that is not burned aka NBB

There are a lot of spider webs here, so you have to check yourself for both ticks and spiders

Our third transect the bottomland area that is burned aka BB

 You can see evidence of the burnings as the tree decays and the bark falls off

 Another example of charred trees especially in the distant center of this picture

Our last transect the upland area that is burned aka BU

Its pictures like this that really capture why I love this internship. I get to escape the city and enjoy nature. The field site is beautiful and reminds me a lot of being in the woods at home, but with very different plants present.

Example of long-leaf pine after a burn a few years back beginning to form new growth along the charred branch. 

Not sure what species of shoe this is, but it provided an interesting photo and a chance to witness a cool little critter. 

Between Hoffler and Blackwater, the ecological preserves are very interesting after my Wildlife Ecology and Management classes. Throughout all that coursework its really cool to see management plans in action and the effects it has on the community of organisms present. I wonder the effects it has the populations of ticks? I will leave that to the data analysis later.

Hope you enjoy the pictures, and make sure to dodge the spiderwebs,

-Lexi