Monday turned out to be very nice.
In the late afternoon, I gathered the pups and took them out to search for any sign of spring.
One of the very first flowers of spring. The plant does smell when disturbed but that is how it gets pollinated by insects.
The plant is found in land near streams and rivers.
The flower looks like this:
What really surprised me was that a few Hepatica showed up here and there along the trail I followed. Most of them were near some of the ice caves I've explored this winter.
We found a lot of these flowers along the Wintergreen Trial.
The dogs had a lot of leftover energy so we hiked around the the blind that is set up for watching birds on the ponds.
Our pleasant surprise was that a pair of Swans that returned. I don't know if they are the very same ones from other years, but for the past 4 years, I've found them in late March at this pond.
The dogs were so good. Both sat quietly with me behind the blind while I watched birds for about 30 minutes. It felt so peaceful to not have a time line.
Bird Blind:
That's a great idea. It allows you to watch without disturbing. Hannah was intent!
ReplyDeleteOnly you could make skunk cabbage look pretty. Sweet start to finding wildflowers. What a nice afternoon!
ReplyDeleteSuch clarity in your beautiful photos! Lori
ReplyDeleteA great day for a walk!
ReplyDeleteColtsfoot is the only spring bloom I have found here so far. Now I have to go out and look for Skunk Cabbage!
ReplyDeleteYour day looks very pleasant, much more so than here. Good Friday is a rainy Friday.
ReplyDeleteWe are supposed to get thunderstorms, wind, hail, and whatnot on Good Friday evening with possible flooding. But Wednesday was really quite nice!
DeleteI've never seen a swan in real life. I do however, have skunk cabbage growing in the lot out back. I've never tasted it though. I have eaten the wild garlic/onions and mustard garlic. Looks like a wonderful adventure. Glad the pups are happy.
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