Walnut Creek Watershed Coalition - WC2

06/11/2026

We do not recommend "John Burns Carpentry/Remodeling" or "Tom McClean Painting." We spent more fixing their poor work at our HQ than what they cost.

06/10/2026

Some of the Creek Keepers amazing photos.

06/10/2026

A barrel of water can sink your mosquitoes — and raise dragonflies.

It sounds completely backward, but one of the smartest things you can do about mosquitoes is add water to your yard. The right kind of water. A half-barrel pond, set up properly, doesn't breed mosquitoes at all. It eats them.

Here's the trick. Dragonflies and damselflies need water to lay their eggs, and their underwater young — the nymphs — are voracious hunters whose favorite food is mosquito larvae. Give them a small pond to grow up in, and you've built a mosquito trap that runs itself: the larvae get eaten below the surface, and the adult dragonflies patrol the air above, picking off adult mosquitoes on the wing.

This is the whole build, and it's easy:

Start with a half whiskey barrel, a stock tank, or any large watertight tub. Set it in a spot that gets part sun. Add a few native water plants and some rocks, and — this is the part people forget — lean a stick or two against the rim, so the nymphs have a ramp to climb out on when it's time to become adults.

One firm rule: no fish. Fish eat the very dragonfly nymphs you're trying to raise. Leave them out.

And if you're worried about that lag — the few weeks before dragonflies find your pond, when plain standing water could breed mosquitoes — there's a clean fix. Drop in a "mosquito dunk." It's a natural bacteria (Bti) that kills mosquito larvae and is completely harmless to dragonflies, bees, birds, frogs, and pets. Top the barrel up in the heat so it never dries out, and you're done.

Then just let it work. Within a season, dragonflies will find it, lay in it, and start the cycle — and you'll have traded a corner of your yard for a glittering little pond that lowers your mosquito problem instead of feeding it.

Done right, a barrel of water doesn't make mosquitoes. It makes dragonflies that eat them.

06/10/2026

Today the Creek Keeper found several locations of this extremely rare "comb coral mushroom" (Hericium coralloides) fungi in the Walnut Creek Valley. Also unusual since it is not yet the right season for this species, but it was positively identified and spore printed to confirm species. Always be sure!

We took one small sample. It was delicious.

Did you know the Walnut Creek Watershed is listed as Moderate Global Significance due to its unique characteristics and species?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hericium_coralloides

06/07/2026

06/03/2026

Today, the Creek Keeper was honored to be invited to attend the Board Meeting of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District held at the Henry County Water Authority, Walnut Creek Waste Water Treatment Facility, about a mile from the home of WC2 on Walnut Creek.

It was a great meeting, we learned much, and look forward to contributing this valuable organization. You can learn more about their mission here:

The Metro Water District includes 15 counties and 92 cities. It is the only major metropolitan area in the country with more than 100 jurisdictions implementing a long-term comprehensive water management program that is required and enforced.

06/03/2026

First and foremost at WC2, we are Natural Scientists. The Creek Keeper is a Biologist (B.S.) and Environmental Scientist (M.S.) and Georgia Master Naturalist.

We feel that us "brainly humans" are part of our natural ecosystems and have a responsibility to care for our planet and all of its inhabitants.

Hope you enjoy our tips how to live with nature and use nature to our mutual benefit.

WC2 Creek Keeper

06/02/2026

Seriously! Who leaves a tiny hamburger on the beach? 🤔

That’s no burger, it’s a Red Hamburger Bean (Mucuna urens)! My wife’s keen eyes spotted it on Hunting Island, SC last week. This bean likely came from Central or South America where the Ox-eye Bean vine grows in wet tropical forests. Their seeds float in seawater and can be carried long distances by ocean currents. This red hamburger or ox-eye bean likely caught a ride up the North Equatorial and Florida Currents.

06/02/2026

Eastern Kingsnakes (Lampropeltis getula getula) range across the Atlantic states from New Jersey down to northern Florida. They live in a wide variety of habitats across this range, including woodlands, fields, along streams and wetlands, and in suburban yards. Also called Chain Snakes by some folks, they’re a harmless, non-venomous constrictor that eats small mammals, lizards, birds, and snakes.

Unfortunately, some populations of Eastern Kingsnakes are declining in the Coastal Plain. Habitat loss and fire ants may play a role. Some people also collect them as pets. They can be a good pet snake; however, pet snakes should be obtained from a reputable breeder, not from the wild.

Eastern Kingsnakes are well-known for their immunity to venom and ability to eat snakes such as copperheads, rattlesnakes, and cottonmouths. See an example of this in the comments.

Photo by Seanin Og, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

05/30/2026

Some folks swear that “Cottonmouths” or “Water Moccasins” are common along Piedmont streams in their area. The reality is that Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus) are not found in the vast majority of the Piedmont (i.e., above the Fall Line), with just a few exceptions of isolated populations (e.g., Wake County, NC). Cottonmouths are, however, widespread in the Coastal Plain.

Rather, what folks are generally seeing in the Piedmont is the widespread and abundant Northern or Common Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon) pictured here. They’re easy to find sunning on rocks around ponds, lakes, and streams. If you get close to one, they almost always slither into the water and swim off to cover. They’re just as scared of you as you might be of them. Northern Watersnakes have lots of “attitude” if you grab them (I would too!🤣), but they’re NON-venomous and harmless to people, pets, and livestock. They primarily feed on fish and frogs.

More information is in the comments, including how to distinguish Cottonmouths from a Northern Watersnake and report a Cottonmouth sighting in your area on H**pMapper or the Carolina H**p Atlas.