Red Dragonfly

Red Dragonfly
Originally uploaded by Rexfree_99

While this beautiful dragonfly wasn't actually photographed down on Cache Creek, it was in nearby Clearlake so close enough. My yards are full of the red dragonflies, none so obliging as this beauty.
My handyman who lives far from the creek, also has a lot of these, and he notices that they coincide with the hatching of small flying insects. Here I have noticed that there are a lot of insects over the creek, as well as large schools of tiny fish of many different kinds.
Pretty dang interesting down by the creek these days between crawdads and dragonflys.

Crawdad way down in creek

Crawdad way down in creek
Originally uploaded by Rexfree_99

In the last few days, I have heard people on the other side of Cache Creek talking about Crawdads or Crawfish, Crayfish and so on. Kids, adults, fisherfolk, all exclaiming about Crawwhatevers. I had just seen my first one on the creek recently and so I kept wondering about all the excitement. I thought that since the water had dropped from my beam that I would not be able to see any on my deep side.
Imagine my excitement this morning when I peered over the wall! There was a big fat crawdad hanging off the rungs of the ladder, semi-concealed in some pondweed.
Then I looked over the side where a small boat shelter used to be in a very shallow area and voila! Crawdads galore. They were mostly hanging on the wall, just under the water which is about four or five feet down from the top of the wall.
There was even one on top of a chunk of lyngba algae floating around in the tiny backwater. After I ran for the camera and took some photos, I was amazed to see in the water, along with lots of small fish, tiny crawdads too. Maybe I should post that as well, just for general interests.

Pond turtle coming onto log Copsey Creek

Pond turtle coming onto log Copsey Creek
Originally uploaded by Rexfree_99

I love this shot of the turtle coming out of the water. Usually they plop in before I can even see them, unless I am exceptionally quiet. But this guy was working hard.
I found an empty shell by the pond. I kept covering it up with grasses so the insects could finish cleaning it out. I wanted to bring it home.
But either some devil, varmit or human moved it beyond my reach, so it is gone. Should have photographed it when I had the chance, or brought it home and let my ants finish the job.