This groundhog beside Pottery Road was too busy eating to worry about the photographer approaching:

All those larvae I saw earlier in the year are turning into a swarm of beetles. Here's a typical one on a cup plant:

I paused to admire a cedar waxwing; it approached an empty nest, selected some nesting material, and flew off with it. Recycling!

At one corner of the Beechwood site is a little viewing point where people can look at one end of the pond. This corner has been bugging me for a while as it fills up with dog-strangling vine, tansy and thistles, so I had a go at it this morning. Before (tansy to the left, DSV curling gracefully in the centre):

And after:

Dog-strangling vine has impressive roots. This is from a single plant:

You see the problem with getting rid of it! These have to be dug up one by one. As long as you have good gloves, though, thistles are fun to pull. They tend to come out fairly easily and have a simple tap root. They make a good reward for the frustrations of removing DSV.