The Beavers are Back!

Last week when I was controlling mile-a-minute in a wetland north of woods between Northside and Harmonyville Roads, there was no sign of beaver activity. The sunny wetland is criscrossed by small streams that were a little less deep than my boots are high. Not so this week, I realized as the water poured over the tops—not a bad feeling in August.

There is a new dam on one of these little springs, and a little bit of beaver-chewed alder trunks, and some conspicuous footprints. I think their presence will benefit this wetland, adding a bit of water and thinning some of the red maple trees. They're not likely to control mile-a-minute for me, since this invasive thrives on disturbance, but it also probably doesn't germinate in flooded areas.

This is the time of year when beavers switch from a summer diet of grasses and wildflowers and begin to cut and stash their winter food of twigs and branches.