Fishing at Willow Slough

Sunday I took an old-fashioned  picnic of cold chicken, potato salad, beans, and peaches down to Willow Slough.

The focus of Willow Slough is Murphy Lake. The lake was drained a few years back, in a massive undertaking by the DNR. I followed some people out into the lake area shortly after the draining. Shortly after the people had disappeared, I sank into a muddy area of the lake bottom up past my knees. Fortunately my two little dogs were out walking with me and I some how managed to come out of the quicksand with their help.

The lake is finally getting back to normal. An hour of fishing yielded many bites and a good sized small mouth bass. There were a lot of good times being had around the lake; people fishing, camping, and picnicking.

Even though the lake is where most people spend their time, there are other things to do at Willow Slough. I took my bicycle down a couple of the country roads that criss-cross the property. You can see wildlife; deer, raccoon, turtles, snakes, minks, weasels, butterflies, and wildflowers. The country roads offer some good nature hiking too, if a bicycle is not your thing.

After an afternoon of bicycling and a picnic dinner I finished off the day with some more fishing in the area; caught a bunch of little ones, nothing worth keeping; my it was a great day!           

Stepping on egg shells

The other day I found egg shells underneath the ceder tree outside my front door. The shells were a light robin's egg blue, although I doubt they were actually robin's eggs; more likely they were one of the many pushy sparrows that frequent my bird feeder. 

On my nature hikes over the last few days I've discovered additional egg shells, each a treasure of it's own and such a delight to find.

One was very tiny, the size of my little finger nail, and speckled brown and tan. Another was a deep blue with a very oddly pointed oval shape. It's sad when I find an egg that has fallen out of the nest full of its failed promise.

I hear the urgent tweet of the tiny birds in the tree outside my door each time I walk by. They are hungry to be fed and all too soon they will be gone and all will be quiet. But for now, in exchange for a tiny bit of seed, I've been given the gift of egg shells and a communion with a bird family.    

Spring Beauty

The dainty flowers of Spring Beauty are scattered throughout the Indiana woods. The flowers are small but numerous. My Audubon guide says that the tubers of this plant have a sweet, chestnut flavor. Native Americans and colonists used this wild flower as food. Maybe I'll try some and let you know...    

Critters from the Marsh

The Sandhill cranes in yesterday's post hang out in marshy areas. Rivers, streams, and marshes in Indiana have an assortment of critters that are crane food. The marsh harbors frogs and crawdads; mayfly, dragonfly, damsel fly and mosquito larva; snails; and aquatic insects. The backswimmer whose picture is on the left is an example of the aquatic insect that can be found in an Indiana marsh.

Backswimmers are pretty vicious insects. They like munching on just about anything that they can get their pinchers on; fish fry, tadpoles, snails, other insects. They are not picky. Unlike some other critters who share the swamp they can fly away if conditions of the marsh become too polluted or if the marsh dries up, although they are very tolerant to most conditions. When you watch them swim you notice that they are sleek and shiny. The shine comes from the little bubbles of air they carry with them in order to breath under water. When they stop to rest they hang upside down on some piece of vegetation in the water.

Some people look at a marsh or swamp and think mosquitoes. I look at a swamp and think crane habitat. If you want to learn more go to: Indiana Wetlands or visit a wetland near you.             

A month ago the Sandhill Cranes moved into the areas of the Kankankee that I frequent. The marsh vibrated with the sounds of their calls. The wings of hundreds of these big birds seemed to create their own wind as they circled the marsh, came down to the ground, and then took off again in the joy of having arrived.

The other day I was back and things had calmed down. Now a small group of cranes walked back and forth grazing on small crustaceans that could be picked out of the mud. In the distance a pair of Swans, some Mallards, Woodducks, and the usual Canadian Geese shared the marsh with the cranes. Hopefully babies for all will arrive some day soon. I'll let you know when they do.      

Mayapples guarantee May is coming

One of the first green plants to pop through the forest floor is the Mayapple. The plants soon cover the floor; as if, since they are early, they've got dibs on the whole area. Eyes sick of winter snow and dingy brown, hunger for the green Mayapples. You have to look underneath the Mayapple to find the white, apple blossom type flower that blooms in Indiana in May or the yellow fruit that follows in June. The leaves are shiny and larger than most plants that grow in the forest in the light starved areas underneath the trees.

My field guide says that the leaves, seeds, and roots of Mayapples are poisonous if eaten in large quantities, although the native americans used the roots as a laxative. A jelly can be made out of the ripe fruit.

Hoosier fishing

The fish have been biting the last two weeks. I've managed to get out a couple of times and have caught some good sized bluegill, crappie and a couple of small largemouth bass.

Thursday afternoon everyone seemed to be catching something at the Kingsbury Wildlife Area. So if you go...good luck!