opposite leaves unfurling
There’s lots of this little tree in the understory toward the east end of the main trail / bridge trail. The opposite-branching pattern suggests maple-ash-dogwood (and a few others), but these lead...
red-tailed hawk
Today's thermals were perfect, though I was beneath thick branches during most of the dramatic shows. But one hawk stayed to play late in the afternoon sun.
Elm bark beetle signature
Two weeks back, I posted a picture of the inside of this bark, but I had neglected to document the outer bark. I've returned, and my unhappy hypothesis is confirmed: these tracks belong to the elm ...
Sweet Fern catkins and flowers
The catkins at the end are male flowers, not yet fully in bloom. The bright magenta-red flower, lower down, is female.
April showers bring something grassy
Best guess is this is Solomon's Seal unfurling. (It also might be sessile leaved bellwort, Uvularia sessilifolia)
Moss in late afternoon sun
Few things are as soothing as this particular shade of green...
skunk cabbage out early
The skunk cabbage gets a jump on the sunlight before the canopy leafs out.
white oak pasture tree
We can tell that when this tree grew, it was not surrounded by forest. Starting early, it spread its branches in all directions. Perhaps because it was near a stone wall, it escaped the plowing and...
seen...
How hard it is to suspend the neural impulse to meet this gaze and interpret it! Of course, the tree may be watching me in other ways, but this spot is not more sensitive than any other part of the...
understory buds
For some understory trees, the best strategy is to blossom early, taking advantage of spring sunlight before the canopy fills out with foliage. Here, the northern spicebush flower gets a head start...
Lenticel patterns
Lenticels are the pores through which a tree exchanges gases along its trunk and stems. On some trees, the lenticels are nearly hidden. On this young tulip tree the lenticels are beautifully expose...