Walks
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Spring woods
Let’s take a walk. We’ll go through the woods to the pond…
…and enjoy the wild cherry blossoms.
The trail is grassy there, so we have a good view of the water and its life.
Just remember that no matter how many things we see — warblers, geese, blossoms, color, tracks — we’re always being watched as well!
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Greening up
The light in the woods is taking on a greenish tint at last. The trees are beginning to produce leaves, and the mosses are incredibly varied. This rock is just one example, showing a number of different textures.
This tree reminds me of hobbits, thanks to its fuzzy toes.
Chipmunks are always watching. Though they’re not secretive enough to go unnoticed, they do blend in pretty well.
I’ve photographed this boardwalk many times, but it always intrigues me. Yesterday it saved our shoes in the extremely muddy woods.
A little photo-editing was done on this one. Fiddleheads are starting to appear…
My pictures don’t show it, but there were quite a few people taking advantage of the nice day to walk in the woods. This is due to pandemic cabin fever. I wonder if it will last.
The crowded woods didn’t prevent us from visiting some favorite spots, and all in all I’d say it’s a great development that people are enjoying the outdoors. . . ourselves included. Hopefully next time we’ll spot some warblers.
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One step forward, two steps back
We’ve had precipitation of various kinds since last time I posted, including snow. This is typical for spring in the northeast. Here are some shots from the most recent walk — over a week ago now. The lighting is rather severe, but finding beauty in overcast days is also part of living in the northeast…
Interestingly, when we tried to go for a walk on a sunny day last weekend, two local preserves were absolutely mobbed. Very unusual! We gave up, mainly because we had our (crazy) dog with us, but it was amazing to see so many people looking for outdoor things to do on a nice day during the coronavirus shutdown.
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Who knew?
Chipmunks eat larvae.
Somehow this is disillusioning…
…yet this cute and cuddly looking rodent doesn’t seem at all self-conscious about it.
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Mixed bag
My daughters and I have been making trips, roughly a week apart, to a local preserve to watch its progress as spring unfolds. The gallery above shows some of the sights.
And really, it’s quite early yet. May is the time when ferns unfurl, wildflowers and warblers run riot, and leaves pop. But it feels amazing to be in the woods in these early days as ever-so-slightly, the green begins to make its inroads against the brown, gray and white of winter.
Yesterday I noticed something I didn’t photograph that was equally cheering: many people, out and about. Both in the woods, and in the car on the way home, I thought about the strangely mixed bag of stayhomesavelivessocialdistancingflattenthecurve during a pandemic…
One the one hand:
- economic loss
- social isolation
- severe illness, and death
- children missing school lunches, friends, stability, routine
- family tensions inflamed in close quarters
- anxiety
- too little toilet paper
- too many sweets
But on the other hand:
- dogs getting walked more
- people doing things together more
- a man and a young girl riding a tandem
- parents and young children walking the trails
- temporary technological substitutes for community & education
- books getting read
- time
I don’t want to do this forever. But for now, I can see some good things happening, even in the midst of crisis. Spring is unfurling in the woods, and looking around, it appears that perhaps a good many “Someday when I have time, I will _____” ideas are unfurling as well. Six feet apart is not that far.
I say this without minimizing the bad, but with thankfulness for the good that exists alongside it.
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Window to the past
Walking a favorite trail the other day, we came across this.
Just another fallen tree?
No. This was a special tree. Back in 2012, when our family was exploring the nature trails around us for the first time, this tree hosted one of the most delightful wonders we’ve seen.
We were in the right place at the right time one day when we saw the male bird peeking out of this hole. As the weeks passed, small beaks appeared, grew larger and hungrier, and demanded frequent feedings from their parents. We would walk the trail every week, observing, photographing, and going home to draw and read about pileated woodpeckers. We felt privileged to be able to watch the story develop. We were in on a secret.
It’s been eight years, but the finality of seeing the woodpecker tree blown over was bittersweet. It was a reminder of something we didn’t know back then: the woods mark the passing of time. They carry the memory of past inhabitants and sights, so that even if we don’t see anything along a particular trail on a given day, we remember past sightings. This was an important memory, full of the excitement of discovery and learning together.
Whatever happened to the woodpecker family? I’m not sure. But we know the tree they chose as a home that spring still bears the marks of their story. For us, it’s a window to the past.
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Summer Afternoon
We took a walk last week at Sapsucker Woods, following the trail around the pond.
Flowers reflected and drank up the sun.
Chipmunks are so common, but so photogenic. This one took refuge in a hole almost under our feet.
A little farther on, we saw this bird — a wood thrush, I think — sunning itself. At first we thought it was hurt…
But when it realized we were observing, it assumed a more dignified pose.
This tree struck us as having an observing eye (or two).
This fallen tree was less fortunate, but the red fungus was interesting.
The walk included some time hanging out beside the water.
On the way out we almost stepped on this little guy. He looked like a rock.
A closer look:
An elegant catbird supervised the conclusion of our walk.
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A few more sights from this week
I live in a beautiful area, though until the sun comes out we can easily forget. This week has helped us remember.
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Finding flora
Blue sky was unexpected, so we seized the day. Though my camera is still in the shop, the cell phone worked to capture some memories.
We were hoping to see some early ferns and wildflowers, and we weren’t disappointed.
Sensitive fern 
Pasture rose 
Trillium 
Wild cherry The May apples had formed buds since last week:
(May apple bud, photo-bombed by Lucy) The high point of the walk was the waterfall and old stone bridge.
That tree on the bank is always striking to me. It looks like it’s tip-toeing down to go wading.
The walk back yielded some artistic moss etchings on rocks…
As well as more ferns, more moss, and a tiny toad.
Christmas fern (?) 
On the whole it was a thoroughly enjoyable expedition with sights from small…
Bird’s eye speedwell …to tall.
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Summer Falls
Wild geranium at the entrance to the trail 
The first of many stairs 
One example of the harmony between human stairs and natural stairs 
There’s always a mixture of darkness and light 
Greenery is everywhere 
There were brook trout in most of the pools, waiting for the next rain to raise the water level and carry them further down the falls 
Sun peeks through 
Peace 
Forget-me-nots along the bank 
A female mallard that plopped in for a rest while we watched 
Turning to look back down the stream This is a 3/4 mile walk along a gorge, but that short span includes something like a 600 foot rise in elevation. We climbed a lot of stairs, then walked down the other side on a more gradual trail. It was an absolutely lovely day.
