Tulocay Creek – Worth A Dam

wrestling Rusty — Napa kits wrestle in Tulocay Beaver pond: Rusty Cohn

I know what you’re thinking. Napatopia gets all the breaks. Cute kits growing up and wrestling for photographs. A beautiful photographic lodge anchored to a tree so it won’t wash away. Support from RCD, Flood control AND the county supervisors. A well-attended beaver talk at a local bookstore with ample community support. Yes Napa has it easy in lots of ways.

But here’s one thing Martinez won’t envy.

turtlecrop — Freshwater leeches hitch a ride: Hank Miller

These are freshwater leeches in Tulocay creek riding on the back of a pond turtle. Leeches feel the vibration of whatever swims by and float up to catch a meal or a lift. And the hot weather has sent an explosion of them into the streams and lakes of California.

So I guess it’s okay having a little salt water once in a while. Because EWWW.

Personal update. The monster fire burned some firefighters and 86 people’s homes yesterday, but not my parents’. It is has now burned 65,215 acres and is a whopping 20% contained. Still wishing for rain.

I think we just might nominate this for beaver photo of the month. I love the colors, which would be beautiful on a tee-shirt! Good work Rusty Cohn of Napa.

Beaver tree cohn — Lucky Beaver – Rusty Cohn

They are actually getting some amazing photos in Tulocay creek. This is from Robin who photographed a green heron’s breakfast at the beaver pond. I send it to the experts for identification and they have confirmed the fish is a bluegill.

FSCN5910 — Green heron eating a bluegill – Robin Ellison

And to top that off Rusty just sent this video from yesterday, wondering what the beaver is eating at .34. Look at him pull that rootball out of the ground and walk it into the water to eat. Obviously it tastes better once you rinse the mud off. Igor thinks some kind of blackberry root tangle.

But I’m not a total Napa-phile yet (although Rusty tells me there’s a house for sale right by the pond. Anyone interested?)

No, I remain firmly convinced that the most remarkable photos always come from Martinez. Just look at this one: Surviving the incredible odds of being cut, planted, pulled up, piled up, ignored, and subsequently replanted upside down. This cottonwood is making a go of it. Proving the old saying, you just can’t keep a good tree down.
Now that’s what we want to see!