Taking Spring

At the morning table with coffee, I was a bit taken by the sudden appearance of a green tree among the gray. When did this happen? 

A basswood, apparently young, but one never knows as trees will linger under the shadow of larger trees for years.

It looks to be algae growing over lichens only on the north-northeast side of the tree. That it is only this tree is surprising. There are plenty of trees with this exposure, many also slim and lack vigor.

Of course, there are other greens on trees. Like these mosses at the base of a nearby white oak, Quercus alba.

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Although only forty something, the breezes were a moist balm. Rain was on the way, the first rain of spring, and likely the first since October. I lingered outside wearing only a sweater. Toms pace the slough casting their garbled opinions. A red squirrel spits its rattling chastisement. Trilling robins blaze high limbs. The dimly lit woods is colored by sound. The animals take spring sooner than we do.

Morning Lights

A few mornings back, during a communion of hyper cold and humid air before this week's warming, I woke to see lights in the trees. 

Not on the trunks and no slick, icy skin on the branches. The lights were exceptionally difficult to photograph, but quite magical with eyes alone. It made me wonder about the origins of lighting trees, if not Christmas lights specifically. So why did it happen, why now?

I went around the front, and found that all the smaller branches were frosted.

Like this.

Each crystal a plate extending perpendicular from the branch. Some, but not all, were at just the right angle to reflect the low, morning sun creating little points of brilliant light. If you move, you lose one light, but pick up new reflections from others. It's quite a thing to see.

Winter Path

Amidst our winter visit , our first woodland walk. Starting at the trail head, we take a little jaunt on the southerly wetland edge trail.

Bundles of fallen twigs accumulate along the trail.

One of the several foot bridges spanning wet ravines. This one crosses a temporary brook that issues from a tree's roots a few feet from the bridge. The brook drains a wet basin that is just a few feet higher in elevation. Notice the larger twig pile in the background.

One of many animal trails in the snow. This is a good place to learn winter animal tracks.

Leaves of some understory trees hang on, golden, warming the view.

The long bridge comes into sight, crossing one point of drainage into the big yellow-grass marsh (that's what I call it, as I tend to see the marsh in winter, full of ochre grass.) This location has less grass than the rest of the marsh, can hold water in wet times, dry out in drought, and is shady-what a gardener's complication!

Crossing the long bridge. Its made with tree log cuts for legs and pallet-like dock laid over it. Remarkably hardy, the docking sheds water easily -resisting decay.

Resting on a boulder under matchbook tree, on the hillside trail facing east.