No idiot lights in the woods

The sign at the head of the trail says "Caution wood surfaces may be slippery when wet," which is annoying not only because it lacks necessary punctuation but because it indicates that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources feels the need to treat the visiting public like a bunch of idiots. I mean, it's a trail through damp woods and wetland, dotted with muddy spots and steep, slippery curves; why not post a sign saying Hey stupid--Don't slip in the mud! And if you take a selfie too close to the cliff, you'll be sorry! And don't drink the swamp water or drop trash all over the woods or set the boardwalk on fire! Then again, that kind of sign would just give visitors ideas.

We leave for our spring vacation on Sunday and the next 48 hours here are expected to be dark, windy, cold, and rainy, so this morning I took advantage of my last opportunity to visit Lake Katharine for a while. I tried a different trail this time, the Calico Bush trail, where I heard scarlet tanagers nearby and turkeys in the distance and saw more of those emerging leaves that so baffled me yesterday. But the name of the trail reminded me that these woods are noted for an abundance of calico bush, AKA mountain laurel. Could these lovely delicate leaves be emerging from mountain laurel bushes? The bushes are in the right place and they're about the right size, but I probably won't know for certain until I get back from my vacation and see what's blooming. 

By that time they'll probably put up a new sign: Hey idiot! Don't pick the flowers or chew on the toxic leaves or walk backward to take a photo and slide over the side of the cliff! I may be many other kinds of idiot, but I hope I'm not that kind of idiot.

More mayapples.

Whatever.

Root ball of a fallen tree.

I love the rock formations.