[Previous entry: "Salmon Fishing With Ed!"] [Next entry: "The Quest for the Woodstove: Part One"]

10/17/2006: "Exploring the Swale"

You've see the garden pictures, the barn, and the green fields. But what lies behind the pasture?





About halfway through the length of the pasture, there is a rise in elevation. The gentle upward slope creates another plateau, though not at the same elevation as the house and upper pastures. At the north end of the slope, an old overgrown road trails off along the fenceline. The road leads into a depression that becomes a sizeable lake in the winter and early spring. The "pond" is surrounded by ash and maple trees. The pond is framed on all sides but the west by the plateau. South of the pond but beyond the pasture is an area of majestic oaks and maples. Kurt planted a few walnuts in some open spaces. There are also hazel trees and lots and lots of blackberries. There is one very large Douglas Fir near the southwestern edge of the property. Kurt planted some Salal, and we found that the bunnies really appreciated that!

Here is a satellite photo showing the general situation: the house is up near the road on the right, the pasture is the open area in the center, and the pond/forested area/swale are at the left:




Anyways, in the spring, the pond was very full of water and it was difficult to explore. Along about June we were able to hack our way through the brambles. What we found was incredible. The pond is fed by and feeds an ash swale. The swale is about 30 feet wide and runs probably a hundred yards or so. When we first glimpsed it, there was still 3 feet of water in it, cut off from the receding pond. But by August we were able to fully explore this incredible place. The swale seems like another world, cool and damp, hidden from the blazing summer sun. There are berms around each side of the swale, running east to west, that are 10-15 feet tall. Add towering blackberries, roses, and ash trees and it becomes a hidden tunnel of green.


We find evidence of coyote, racoon and rabbits. There are many song birds and raptors too. We jumped a great blue heron one afternoon. (Forgot the camera that day!) We find mushrooms on the old stumps and downed wood. We've found a native mint, Mentha arvensis, as well as many other very cool plants. One of the dominant plants on the edge of the swale and in the open areas is a little semi-wild rose. It is a bramble type of rose, with soft, pink, single flowers. Today I collected hips for tea.



The wood cutting post shows the size of the oak we were working on. That's in the edge of the "woodlot" portion. The swale is predominantly surrounded by ash and cottonwood. The ash makes an excellent firewood, is very fast growing and loves spongy, moist growing environments.



On our way back to the house, we put the ducks up and met a kitty! We'd met this kitty in the springtime, but he hadn't been back to visit. He came right up, purring and meowing. We suspect he's one of the neighbor's cats, but we don't mind if he wants to take a swipe at the mice in the barn!