A Hot Summer Day At Beaver Brook

Last Saturday started out to be a beautiful day so I went up to Beaver Brook Natural area. It had been a few months since I had been there last and I have to say that I do miss it after a while. After all, I’ve known the place since I rode through here as a young boy in my father’s car. This photo shows a spot where dog owners bring their dogs to swim. Someone years ago dammed the brook slightly with stones to slow it down. This made a knee deep pool that dogs love to visit. But they can’t do much about the trees that keep falling in the brook. That’s something you see all along the brook but after a while high water in spring washes a lot of them away. I saw lots of foam buildup in the stream on this day. I’ve read that one reason for these “natural suds” is the “decomposition of animals and plants, which releases organic surfactants into the water.” This is commonly referred to as dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which causes air bubbles, reduces the surface tension of the water, and…