Woodland Brothel

Slowly but surely, the signs of Spring are appearing in the woods.  New green leaves are poking through the decaying leaves.  Buds on the under brush are beginning to swell.  Warblers and flocks of Robins flitter about the woods, proclaiming their right to this area or that tree.  And the Vernal Pools are forming.  Within these "singles bars" of the woodlands, many of the amphibians of our area are busy gettin busy.  The frogs and toads will become more vocal in the days ahead.  Salamanders will chase one and other looking for a willing breeding partner.  The eggs sacks will start to appear, and the circle of life will continue for some of our seldom seen woodland creatures.

The New Year

My first venture back to the woods, of this new year, did not reveal anything surprising.  It was a beautiful day with sunshine and temperatures in the mid 40s.  Deer were moving about, but kept their distance.  One small buck made a mad dash away when he felt I had gotten a little too close.  Squirrels scurried about the leaf covered forest floor as they always do.  Redtails watched from the tops of trees and glided effortlessly in the wind when they flew.  Their raspy call fills me with a sense of being in the wild and that I am not alone.  I like the woods in winter, as well as every season, really.  The winter woods is open, exposing all of it's secret places that cannot be easily found when it is awake and alive with thick green leaves.  I find it interesting being able to see further back into previously unseen areas and knowing now, what is there.  As near as I can tell, the woods is resting peacefully and will begin to awaken soon.  I'll be ready, whenever it is.

Enjoying the View

I know I've said it before, but Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me.  Here we are in one of the worst droughts in many years and she throws me a curve ball.

I went out to the Fen the other night.  As I walked back and came up over the hill overlooking the lower fen, I was greeted with so much amazing color.  I almost couldn't believe it.  I continued around the edge and down into the fen, stopping to examine all the different varieties of late summer bloomers.  Once I finally reached the spot I was going to, I just stood there and took it all in.  So many colors, everywhere.  I don't think I've seen an explosion of color here, like this, at any other time of the year.  As I stood there in amazement, thinking it couldn't get any better, it did.

This little six point wandered out on the far side, about 130 yards away from me.  Luckily, I had one of my longer zooms already mounted.  I snapped away furiously while he let me.  The distance and the diminishing light gave me all the challenge I could handle, especially while handholding.  When he turned and moved up the hill out of site, without even flagging, all I could think was, Wow!

Rainbows

Rainbows can be found in unexpected places. They always come with the hope and promise of something new and good. As things move into the past, better things will reveal themselves. Sometimes, they'll be somewhere you're not even looking. Other times, they're right in front of us. Remember the promise of the rainbow.