Buttercups, Brown Snakes, and Beavers?

So,  I recently revisited the wetlands of... Lick Creek.  That's a strange name, isn't it?  It's named after a salt lick for deer, found in the area someplace.

Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) bloomed in the thousand in these wet forests, easily the dominant plant everywhere as usual.

Dozens of Western Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris triserata) called in the nearby swamps.

Here's the same frog from the side.  Another name is Striped Chorus Frog, for obvious reasons.

A male Red-Bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) drilled into a tree on the edge of the marsh.

This was what we walked through.  It's a beautiful area, not particularly pristine, but still full of curious plants and animals.

This Buttercup (Ranunculus spp.) is a species found throughout the wetter areas of the preserve.  The shiny yellow petals give this plant its name.  We then spotted nearby:

This White-Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  was only about ten feet away, and seemed to barely pay me any attention as it browsed through the bark.  As we watched this bird, I spotted something moving out of a nearby woodpile and caught it after a second.

Well, it's a snake!  Not just any snake, but a Dekay's Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi).  This tiny snake, a harmless and tame species, is extremely common in woodlands, although  rarely observed.

After observing the snake for a minute, we let it go back on a nearby woodpile.

A Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) sunned itself on a log nearby, as we walked on by the edge of the river.  The clear sunny spring day was an absolute delight in itself.

Spring Beauties, growing on the bank, demonstrate just how variable this species is.

We walked out onto the marshlands.  The trees on the right, as usual, were filled with woodpeckers.  After several minutes of exploring, we spotted a snake.  It got away, diving into the marsh.   Then we spotted another snake.  It also got away.  We waited.  It reappeared.  We got a picture of it, but it got away as well, into the dense grasses and woody debris.

This (assumed) Dekay's Brown Snake was lighter in color, probably because the grassy plant cover in this area was much lighter tan in color than the dark grey-brown of the woods.  This may, of course, prove to be a differing species or subspecies.  The Brown Snakes as a whole are worthy of more close examination, as they are shy but found nearly universally throughout the Eastern U.S.  This is considered to be the only snake hardy enough to be found in Brooklyn's alleys and parking lots.

On Lick Creek itself, Blue-Winged Teal (Anas discors) are both extremely common and extremely shy, flying almost as soon as they spotted us.  A zoom lens is a requirement for this bird.

An unknown species of turtle, lacking the red marks of the Red-eared Slider and the colors of the Painted Turtle. sunned itself on a nearby log.  Anyone know what this is?

Under a marshland slab of bark, snails could be found.

Nearby grew strange and unknown plants.

Here's my friend, halfway up a willow tree, in the middle oft the marsh.  While his camera was slightly inferior to mine, his climbing skills far surpassed mine,  Here's the picture he got.

After this, we crossed back to the creek. Wildlife was everywhere.

Blue-Winged Teal were everywhere, as I said.  I saw upwards of a dozen on the short stretches of creek  I hiked.

This hole, one of several, was found near the bank.  Then, we figured out why.

We believe this to be a beaver lodge, as mud was piled up in it.  The hole found in the previous picture is just offscreen to the left.  Can anyone confirm this?

Northern Cricket Frogs (Acris crepitans) hopped along the bank.

The rare Brown Creeper (Certhia americana), a pair of them, browsed along the bark.  It's debatable  whether this species should be protected as a rare breeder in Illinois, or treated as a migratory species that merely moves through the state.

I did say that frogs were everywhere, right?   After this, we worked our way upland, into the more botanically diverse section of the preserve.

Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria), a close relative of Bleeding Heart plants grown in gardens, is a fairly common upland woodland wildflower. As soon as we were above the floodplain, these plants grew everywhere.

The most common fern in Illinois, Fragile Fern (Cystopteris fragilis) can be found throughout this area.  Fragile Ferns get their name from their sensitivity to frost, not their sensitivity to soil conditions.  This fern carpets wide swaths of woodland.

The Prairie Trilliums (Trillium recurvatum) are emerging, and some are already in bloom.  This species is the most common trillium in Illinois by a wide margin.  It can be found in nearly every woodland, even fairly degraded ones.  Despite this, it is a plant of which it is best to be cautious.  Trilliums, like this species, take about seven years to flower from seed.  They also rarely recover if stepped on by a careless hiker.

While Cut-leaved Toothwort (Dentaria laciniata) isn't exactly a rare plant, this is a good sign that this area has been a woodland for awhile.  White Trout Lily (Erythronium albidum) grow around this patch, and you can see one of its mottled leaves in the center left edge of the picture.  This is another common species, not yet in flower.  As we hiked back through the uplands to our car, I looked up.

American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), roughly a hundred of them, flew east towards Lake Springfield.  These birds are on the move north towards the Great Lakes, and I've seen many in the last few days.  However, this was by far the most pelicans I've ever seen at one time.  I failed to get a picture that adequately captured this flock.  It was a fun end to an exciting trip.  I'd never adequately realized how spendid of a wildlife sanctuary this area is, so there will be many return visits.  I still want a Common Gallinule picture from here, just to prove that it exists.  While I didn't see one this time, everything from Buttercups, Brown Snakes,  and Blue-winged Teal, to a whole Beaver lodge was more than enough.