spring ephemeral sprawl

We took a hike on Easter morning and I was so excited to see the spring ephemerals out!  As the name suggests, they're the woodland flowers that bloom for a few weeks and then disappear.  

Bloodroot is one of my favorites.  They wear their leaves like little green cloaks before opening up.

Lots of Spring Beauties...

Duchmen's Breeches...

Young May Apples!!

The forest floor was absolutely carpeted with Yellow Trout Lily leaves.  Millions and millions!  Only a few were blooming...I think it's going to be amazing there within a week!

I also saw wild Wood Phlox, Rue Anemone, and big swatches of Columbine leaves...and the first pollinators of the season!

So nice to walk around the lake...

...see the budding trees...

...and a little wildlife!

(opossum tracks)

I've been seeing a bit of activity at home, too.  Several large coyotes have been loping around the barnyard some mornings.

They look very well-fed!  Claudia definitely stays close after she catches their scent.

It's a beautiful time of year to walk around the property.  Red-winged Blackbirds are nesting in the front pond...

...while others are keeping an eye toward our porch rafters as a potential nesting spot.

The field grass is growing quickly, and Todd is mowing down the taller bits before the early summer bush-hogging.

As quickly as I can, I'm getting seedlings, like these iceland poppies, planted in the garden.

This backfired on me last week, when we had a string of unseasonably cold days, with one night down to 20 degrees!  This caused an extraordinary amount of work for us.  I had to go around covering flowering bulbs and tender sprouts in the front garden...

...while Todd pounded stakes down the middle of our planted row.  Over the stakes went the frost cloth, very difficult to secure against the fence side, and then whatever bedding/towels/tablecloths that I could spare from the house to doubly insulate.

This whole mess had to be peeled back during the day, so that the seedlings could get some light.  I grumbled the whole time, but it worked - although some seedlings had frost damage to the outer tips of their leaves.  Lesson learned:  even if a seedling is frost hardy, no setting them out if there's even a chance of a freeze within a 10-day period...i.e., probably wait until April.  

Fingers crossed that we're now onto a mild, comfortable spring.  

Have a great week!

A Bark in the Park

Yesterday we took Borga on her first real hike...an 8-mile jaunt through a local state park. There was a lot for a curious little dog to see. Canadian geese were out in flocks, picking through the grass for insects...

...or performing an early-morning cleaning.

We were all enchanted by the plants that were popping up amid the fallen leaves on the forest floor. This twisty plant...

...unfurls into a Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum). It's also known as wild lemon and fruits later in the summer. The fruit is edible, although it can be poisonous if eaten in large amounts.
The plant's rhizomes have been used for medicinal purposes.

Toad Trillium (Trillium sessile) is a pretty little plant. I like its mottled leaves and the tiny maroon flower that grows right out on top of the leaves instead of from the plant stem.

There were fields - fields! - of Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica). This less-than-stellar photo shows their almost electric colors and delicate blossoms. Due to their unusual shape, Virginia Bluebells are pollinated almost exclusively by butterflies.

These little flowers are known as Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica). They re-seed rapidly and spread quickly.

There were other flowers I didn't know, like this groundcover that reminded me a little of Myrtle.

I think these are a type of anemone. I remember these from my childhood...so dainty!

More pretty leaves than I could count!


I love the names of these woodland plants, like Cutleaf Toothwort and Dutchman's Breeches. Yes...we saw these too, but I didn't get a picture of them.

Huge patches of daffodils were blooming and made quite a scene. My only complaint about daffodils is that they don't bloom for very long and then you're left with the tall green leaves, which you cannot cut down because they're gathering nutrients in order to have a successful flowering the following year. But, I've discovered that if you plant columbines within the daffodils, their sprawling leaves and shooting spikes make a nice cover.

Trees were budding out, too, like this redbud...

...and this beautiful forsythia bush.

The forsythia sprawled all the way down the hills to the water. So pretty!

This crabapple tree, too, was in full bloom.

Standing underneath a crabapple tree in full bloom is quite an experience. The branches are low so you're at eye-level with the little white blossoms and shiny maroon leaves.

The flowers have several jutting filaments, each topped with a little pollen packet.

The branches are not just supporting the flowers. I brushed against several spiderweb strands and knew that somewhere close, a small web-weaving spider was waiting for a meal. I stood very still and surveyed the area. Found him!

I just love to see the trees budding out in the spring.

Even though this winter was really mild, we had a lot of dull, grey days.

The water level at this reservoir had dropped significantly over the winter.

Still lots of pretty views, though!

Nice signs of life, like this bird's nest...

...and even a wasp nest in the same bush.

We saw more Canadian geese...

...and this red-wing blackbird even held still long enough for a quick picture.

They're beautiful when they're flying, because all you can see is a streak of black and red.

Lots of little ducks and other waterfowl dipping for fish and algae.

A beaver has been busy here!

All in all, it was a very educational trip for Borga!

These spring days just fill me with happiness. Every day I'm checking my seedlings, pruning bushes, bringing in more and more bouquets, and enjoying the 'greening up' of the yard. I believe that every good thing, even the little ones, are gifts from God, and I love seeing the beauty of His creation, especially in the spring!

I hope you're having a nice spring, too!