by Carl Strang
There are several small marsh areas at Mayslake Forest Preserve. One of them was dug to provide fill for constructing the parking lot. Last year the vegetation was relatively sparse, but this year the parking lot marsh has a dense growth of tall common cattails.
That marsh contains two large mounds, the dens of muskrats. Muskrats last winter lived in tunnel dens they dug in the bank. The difference has me thinking that perhaps the mound nests, constructed from cattails, are a preference. The muskrats did not need to go to the trouble to build the mounds, but did so anyway. An alternate possibility is that the density of muskrats has increased there, so more dens are needed.
Another marsh, near the stream, also was dug originally to provide fill, this time to elevate a foundation for the chapel when the site still was a Franciscan retreat center.
There is one likely muskrat mound in this marsh as well, but I will need to see it closely after the water freezes to be certain. The area recently was highlighted by the beautiful yellow color of the weeping willows.
The orchard is on the mansion grounds not far from that marsh. In a recent post I mentioned how deer have been dining on apples there. I failed to comment on a raccoon trail that also leads to these fruit trees.
While other animals also use trails of this size, the masked mammals’ big flat feet and routine travel pattern produce this distinctive sign of their presence.
Nature Inquiries 