Woods
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Serenity Wood
April 27 was clear and warm, so I ventured into the Serenity Wood to check out the sights and sounds of spring. The initial trail up through a meadow was muddy and full of bushes, from which a blue-winged warbler mocked me with its raspberry call as it successfully hid from me. In this same meadow, I got a good picture of him — or perhaps his father or grandfather — back in 2013, so I was glad to grant him his privacy and move on to the woods.
Along with the opening leaves, a few tiny flowers were pushing up on the forest floor.
Wood Anemone 
Bluet 
I paused to remember photos taken on this bench with my daughters, as well as brown creepers and yellow-rumped warblers we’ve seen in the trees lining this path in previous springs.
Down the hill and to the left, I turned in to the Tree Tunnel, so named by my youngest on our first walk here years ago. It’s dimmer, and to me slightly ominous, when fully leafed out; I like it best in spring, with the fresh, bright green of opening leaves and the light coming in.
From there, I turned and descended to a little bridge over this creek, where two chipmunks chased one another at dizzying speed over this tree that fell across the stream years ago and now seems to have anchored to both banks.
May Apples were sprouting everywhere. The ground was literally carpeted with them. In later May they’ll sport lovely white flowers under those umbrellas.
Many trees were toppled. I don’t remember it being a windy winter overall, but we did have a few very windy days, and they seem to have had a dramatic effect. (Maybe that accounts for so many May Apples — less leaf canopy = more sunlight.)
This one was covered with “wormoglyphics,” as my daughters used to call the exposed worm tracks beneath the bark.
It certainly does have the appearance of mysterious writing!
I walked on along the gorge, listening to the stream and surveying more fallen trees on the banks.
A pair of oven birds flitted worriedly around me, calling out “Teacher teacher TEACHER TEACHER TEACHER TEACHER TEACHER!!!“ I took a few fern photos and moved on.
Just before getting to this boardwalk I met two other walkers. We greeted each other, and as I walked on I heard one say to the other, “Nature is… dirty.” True enough! By this point my shoes were coated with mud, and I was glad to stump along on dry wood for awhile, following this runway back to the parking area.
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First Walk of Spring
It was April 17, and wetter than I expected, but the overcast was beginning to clear.
It’s always a delight to find color and texture after the long, monochrome palette of winter.
This stump is a study in change. It’s the same one I photographed in this post.
This preserve has a healthy population of large spotted salamanders. They close some of the roads so the salamanders can cross them — mostly at night, I think — in safety. When I got to the vernal pool, I found myself really hoping I might finally see one, but no. Just this fine fellow and his friends.
Lucy dislikes the boardwalk because it often results in long waits while her humans take pictures and exclaim over things they see. On this day we didn’t linger, though.
Once I saw this turtle, I started noticing them everywhere. There were a few tree swallows swooping over the water, as well as a phoebe observing us from a nearby branch.
All in all it was a lovely inauguration of the spring walking season.
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Where’s Waldo, Woodland Version
There are many tiny things to notice on walks — like this tiny frog. Things you don’t see unless you’re looking.
Damselfly The thing is to be attentively present. . . What is to be known is always there. When it reveals itself to you, or when you come upon it, it is by chance. The only condition is your being there and being watchful. (Wendell Berry, “The Long-Legged House”)
Carolina Wren -
Porcupine
At first glimpse, it looked like a huge nest – a large, dark, plump blob high in a tree… yet shaped like an animal.
But a second look (with the telephoto lens) revealed it to be a porcupine!
It’s the first I’ve ever seen in the wild.
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Returning to the Outer Banks
The ocean with its awesome scale and mystery, the Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo with their cultivated beauty, and the eerie tropics of Kitty Hawk Woods (visited for the first time) all contributed to our enjoyment of the variety the Outer Banks environment has to offer.
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Autumn Rambles
Green Heron On a walk, it’s safe to assume that surveillance is being conducted by some creature or other. This green heron is one example. It took a few minutes to ensure that we weren’t a threat before continuing the all-important business of hunting pond organisms for its lunch.
I’ve compiled images from three different walks into this gallery. There are enough photos that the slideshow spills over to a second page, reached by the arrow at bottom. It’s not a super colorful fall here — more yellows and browns than reds and oranges. But the unique autumn sunlight and odors of autumn give familiar trails a touch of enchantment just the same.
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Greenwood Park
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Late winter, or early spring?
It was an exercise in perspective in the woods yesterday. On the one hand, there was no new growth, and very few birds around. But on the other hand, it was well above freezing… though whether in the high 40s or low 50s, I’m not sure.
Still, last week, it looked like this:
So I’ve decided to go with early spring.
Not far in, we came upon a large bird blind that suggested what it might be like to be put in the stocks.
The light created contrasts of all kinds and gave this grove an enchanted feel.
I’ve never noticed quite so much debris from the spruces on the forest floor — “evergreen,” though no longer attached to the trees.
Inviting benches were scattered at various points…
…and chilly looking streams.
Though we didn’t see much, venturing out, stopping now and then to listen, and remembering the many previous walks on these trails brought the usual nourishment. It may not be spring proper yet, but the sense of breaking out of my indoor habits of mind and body felt wonderful. And those bits of green moss on rocks and stumps foreshadow the burst of spring growth that’s drawing nearer with each passing, lengthening day.
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Preserve in fall
Bringing a dog along always heightens the enthusiasm level of a nature walk. But Lucy wasn’t the only one who enjoyed the great outdoors at the university nature preserve yesterday.
My daughter and I encountered numerous other explorers despite the college’s fall break — people like us, soaking in the color and warmth as winter looms not far around the corner.
A light breeze rippled the water’s surface. Wood ducks and geese floated further off, out of the field of view, avoiding the paparazzi.
We often see little stacks of rocks, tree trunks with initials carved into them, and letter boxes or painted rocks in the woods. I decided to make my own little tribute with the leaves I couldn’t resist picking up, but didn’t have any purpose for if I took them home. Here they are, all lined up for their class picture.
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Marsh Walk
My daughters and I, and our dog Lucy, took a walk into a marsh we haven’t visited in years. The bird blind that used to be a unique feature was closed for safety issues, but a new trail wound to a different perspective on the pond, then into a golden wood that thoroughly enchanted us.
