Wyassup Brook, Tefftweald

I had planned to show a friend, suitably masked and appropriately distanced, of course, Avalonia's Tefftweald at Birchenturn preserve, but a combination of technological malfunctions, both GPS and cellphone, kept us from connecting, so I wound up trekking alone. Solo walks seem to be our lot these days, and while I certainly would have preferred sharing my discoveries along the trail with an actual human, I guess I'll have to content myself with offering my observations electronically. The main thing I noted was that the overall lack of rainfall—not yet a bona fide drought, but approaching that precipice—is beginning to be obvious, particularly at Wyassup Brook, the pretty little creek that marks the refuge's western boundary. Incredibly enthusiastic last month, the water is down to a trickle in many places, with individual mini-waterfalls forming in spots that were, in April and May, inundated by a brimful white-water torrent.