Oh what joy...

 Really! 

I had a joyful hour of photography yesterday!

So you all have figured out by now that if I can get out and spend a bit of time with Miss Mom Nature, I am a happy camper.

I spent the morning setting up my temporary strings of fence hotwire and gates. In one direction, the gate allows the mules access to the forest. 

Moved the other way, they have access to the Merry Meadow [named by Ariel when she was little].

I'd fence, go back to the house to check on my patient -- go fence some more. Back and forth I went all morning. 

This included cutting down multiflora rose and cutting back Honeysuckle from where I was putting the electric fence. Yes, so much joy in that!

Done with that project. 

Next, I may have to revive the ancient mower and use it to cut down some thistles that are coming up in the meadow. 

If I mow the patch often with the push mower, I won't have to hack at it with the scythe. Anyway that is my industrious plan. Not sure it will happen but I'll try. 

That means putting the push mower in the cart that is attached to the old 4 wheeler and hauling it out there.

So.
Back to the photography.

Remember the odd looking moss/liverwort reproductive system in the rain? 
I found this yesterday. You can see that the little 'balls' blew open and 'spored' out for more plants.

Charlie was bored with me getting down low. But I can see the world better from his perspective.

I do have a fascination of little things. Big broad landscapes are really not easy to do in our landscapes of steep hills and valleys. So I find the little things.

The Spring Beauties as we call them were literally covering a section of our woods.

How lucky was I to not only sit among them, but when I studied the flowers I was able to find bees working the flowers.

I was using my Lensbaby SOL 22 lens. It is a frustrating and beautiful lens with an f stop that is set at 3.5 with a movable focal point. All of the work with this lens is purely manual as the lens doesn't communicate with the camera. 

I love the challenge.

Forest violets and yard violets....

Where the Maidenhair Fern Grows....

That's it for today.

It is Sunday morning and the day is looking bright and beautiful.

Time to get going and see what I can find today and work on my flower beds.

Respite day

I finally got the cot I ordered and set it up. It looks pretty cute where I put it. And it is handy. I have a nice light to read by and it is almost comfortable.

I ordered a more comfy cot mattress as this one is a bit thin. I can feel the supports underneath me as I sleep.

My friend Jason showed up early on Saturday morning. For him to come out, it is a 2 hour drive. I should say now...our friend as he and Rich really enjoy each other's company. The guys shooed me out the door and Charlie and I took off.

I hit the trails walking. Charlie and I stopped once to talk to a dude with an extremely impressive long lens and a shiny new tripod attached to his shiny new Canon with a huge flash on its top. He was by one of the ponds I'd been to last month that had been filled with a variety of ducks and Canada Geese. I said hello and asked if he'd seen any cool birds.

He said he'd just seen Canada Geese in the ponds. I said that he'd see turtles in the afternoon once in warmed up and perhaps he could find more birds if he took the field trail towards the river. He said he was staying on the old 131 trail so he wouldn't get lost.

I asked if he'd seen the Virginia Bluebells yet. I'd passed some walking towards him. He said no, they weren't up yet. 

He commented that it was a nice sunny day. I commented that my favorite days were slightly overcast as the sky became a softbox.

He asked me what a softbox was and then he shrugged and said "I'm new at this." I directed him towards where I'd seen the Bluebells and the Virginia Beauties next to the trail and bid him good luck.

Charlie and I were headed for a deep narrow valley to look specifically for wildflowers.

We were not disappointed. This valley has a tiny creek running through it. It is perfect for producing massive growths of Skunk Cabbage plants.

Once we made it to the south facing rocky hillsides, we found Virginia Beauties everywhere and a huge area [s] of Dutchman Breeches. 

I was literally in heaven. 

As always, my sidekick and photography assistant helped me out...

I didn't care, I was in a huge patch of these beauties.
Ever try to walk through a huge patch of wildflowers and not step on one?

Before I left this valley I found Blood Root, Dutchman's Breeches, Skunk Cabbage, and Virginia Beauties and a plant I hadn't found before. 

Here is a Cutleaf Toothwort. Now there is an odd name. I saw large patches of this on what used to be a county road over 55 years ago. The road is gone, but these plants grow all over the place.

My regret is that I won't see them flower, but will add their location to my list of places to see next year...I hope.

[cell phone shot]

I may or may not get to see the Trout Lilys flower this year, but I did get to see some buds. I think they are some of the most beautiful little flowers.

After explored this valley, I climbed the bluff and went to the pine forest on top to explore. I'll save that for another day I think.

Hopefully this monster storm will leave us intact. I have a few things to take care of to prepare for it. The Hospice Team called today [Sunday] to see if we were prepared for bad weather with all the meds and O2 tanks in case the power went out. She assured us that we could call their number if we needed any assistance at all and they'd send someone to help.

I assured her that we had a plan and I was dealing with that at the moment by moving the things we could need into the basement along with a way to get my husband down the stairs and back up the stairs safely.

One two three...onward

Monday Monday. Who loves Mondays? Tuesdays, Wednesdays...oh bother...I started this on Monday and it fell into Tuesday...and I landed on Wednesday...

Rain. Sunshine, repeat. That is what April showers are all about.

Moss continues to be the big attraction out in the forest. Phoebe loves macro photography and she loves mosses. Why not?

She sees mosses as delicate little flowers that no one appreciates.

She really enjoys seeing the small world through the camera lens.

But I think she should be more aware of her surroundings, don't you?

While I was out on Sunday morning, I found a dandelion! Actually I found two of them just starting in the pasture. They were pretty small.

Since I had my macro lens on, I thought I'd even get closer. I don't mind laying down in the dirt and grass. This is one of the reasons I wear coveralls.

Closer....
I chose black and white to accent the curly parts of the flower that carry pollen. There are cool names for these but I would never remember them.

Even...

closer!

I felt like this was pretty interesting. Most folks don't give a dandelion a second thought. Photographers love dandelions though. They go through so many changes quickly and there is an easy access to them as they are found everywhere.

My yard pony loves the dandelion flowers. If I stake him out where the dandy's grow, he carefully walks around and eats all the blossoms first.

Apparently, he thinks they are delicacies.

I ordered my cot for the living room. It arrives on Friday. I decided to get a new blanket and dress up that part of the living room with new curtains. Me oh my! I got a matching blanket and curtains! How special am I? 

The cot is easy to fold up and move. I did want one for watching the stars from the porch, so it will have more than one purpose. It may even become a 'guest' cot at some point.

Here is a shot of the curtains along with the blanket draped over the old Captain's Chair I need to find a place for...

Bear approved of it. The window behind the chair will have matching curtains also. It will be my 'open' concept sleeping area and I suppose could double as a 'seating' area [since I always have so many people visiting!].

and then Tuesday went right by and suddenly I woke up Wednesday....

Yesterday, was farrier day with Danny. This shot is from 9 years ago when Danny started working on our animals under the close eye of his dad, Dan. Danny has become an incredible farrier and blacksmith. He carries his portable blacksmith shop in a specialized trailer he had built. 

I don't have any photos of him from yesterday. I was busy chatting and holding the mules.

Before supper, I took a few minutes to trot out to the woods to see if I could find any Virginia Spring Beauties.

They are just barely popping in my woods. 

I even found a Mayflower! It isn't very tall yet, I stuck a Lego Gator and his toy bunny along side. The Mayflower was about 2 inches tall.

So I am closing this out and heading into Wednesday.

Whispers of Love ~~~

A Botanical Symphony that fills the forest with harmony~~~~

I took advantage of hubby sleeping in late on Wednesday and went for a morning forest jaunt. I was just amazed by the colors and the light.

Maple trees in morning light:

Gooseberry bushes blooming:

Apple Trees doing their beautiful thing:

Mayapples or as we called them May Poles:

Tulips in the yard:

Stunning Trillium on Hay Valley Trail:

Bellwort on Hay Valley Trail:

Truly, I cannot get enough photos of these Virginia Pinks before they disappear!
In the pine forest at Hay Valley Trail:

There were hundreds of Trout Lilies plants, but I only found one that was blossoming!

Hay Valley Trail:

[Other things that are going on at our farm? Not much. 

I built another two summer lots for both the little stud pony and the mules so I can do a bit less mowing. I spent all morning working on fencing and then took the afternoon to work on cleaning up the little flower gardens.

I brushed all the critters with a shedding blade until my arms fell off.]

It is the weekend now so I may take a day just to chill out!

Meanwhile in the forest...

I took a short walk yesterday after mowing some patches of long shaggy grass.

I still haven't totally unpacked from our mini trip and put everything away. Since Spring waits for no one, I decided to get to the forest and see what was happening.

I found this Rue Anemone. However, looking at it closer, it may be a False Rue Anemone.

This was the first one I found in our woods. In other areas of our county they are already blanketing the floor of certain forest areas.

Because of our steep hills and valleys that face different directions, some areas warm up faster than others.

I found this in a cooler part of our forest. The hillside faces north east which gets a glimpse of morning light but that is it.

 

I walked over to the one spot in our forest that always seems to be ahead of other areas. For the past 20 years I've always found an early small Morel or two in this area.

I found two spots where Maidenhair Ferns were starting to come up. They were not emerging anywhere else.

This spot faces south and in the spring gets nearly all the sunlight and warmth for nearly the whole day. It is the one area that seems to always be slightly ahead of other areas of the forest.

I did not find any Morels or even any signs of them. This Fungi caught my eye though. Its common name is: False Morel. Scientific name: Gyromitra esculenta. 
This mushroom contains the neurotoxin called Gyromitrin. There are rumors that the neurotoxin can be cooked out of it, but I wouldn't take the chance.

I do find their odd and sometimes twisted shapes to be interesting looking though.

I headed home after striking out with any Grey Morels. I came up from the creek and found these Virginia Pinks flooding the top of the hill under the budding trees.

In the Spring, I try to get out and find every ephemeral flower I can. 

I still have Bloodroot, Dutchman's Breeches, Hepatica, and Trout Lilies to find.

Perhaps I need to get my laundry and grocery shopping done first? I don't know why those mundane tasks like to get in the way of all the fun I can have in the forest.

Charlie and Rich seem to be still recovering from our weekend trip.

Springing

Hepatica with a Soldier Beetle.
 I watched, this beetle grab a 
tiny insect and eat it!

Forest Drama!

 Rue Anenome with dew drops on it at Tainter Hollow

These flowers are so tiny that many people never see them while walking on a trail or path through the woods.

They are not showy or exceptional in colors, but in some areas they cover the forest floor for a few weeks each year.

I found these and the Virginia Blue Bells emerging in a place called Tainter Hollow. There is a tract of DNR land open to the public for trout fishing. It runs along Tainter Creek and has one trail that is mowed out and back, but one can wander around fairly easily in the spring. Once summer arrives, the growth around the creek is over 4 foot tall.

No shots of the Bluebells as they were merely an inch tall. My Bluebells at home are much taller and get more spring sunshine.

I walked over in the late evening to where I had some daffodils planted and thought I'd grab a few shots with back lighting. Instead, I got distracted by all of the action on the daffodils.

Here is a Mustard White butterfly which is not to be confused with a Cabbage White. The Mustard White only feeds and pollinates native plants. The Cabbage White is the one we all curse in our vegetable garden.

I have no idea what these insects are, but they were all over the place!

And out in the forest, tiny bees were visiting the Virginia Pinks which a lot of folks call Pink Beauties.

The bees are awake and the flowers are emerging. These flowers will soon disappear and more will take their place.

It has been very warm for this time of April, but I'll take it and enjoy it while I can.