Untrampled

A break in the apocalyptic weather allowed me to go back to Lake Katharine this morning, where I hoped to find the wild irises blooming, and sure enough there they were--lying on the ground. At first I thought our very cold nights might have nipped them, but the stems were broken so cleanly that I concluded they must have been trampled by something--or someone. Only one blossom remained standing, a delicate little splash of purple and white on a stem no more than ten inches tall. I think I'll be that iris today, carrying on despite the chaos.

Nearby I saw my first fire pinks of the season, or I guess I should say fire pink since I saw exactly one blossom. Mayapples blossoms were also rare but I spotted a few, along with some persistent jack-in-the-pulpit and the first bursts of stonecrop. I have to admire these plants that have learned to thrive in extreme circumstances, putting down roots in mucky ground or solid rock. Today I'll be the stonecrop, blooming where I'm planted.

I had the woods to myself this morning except for a group of deer and uncountable birds. I love to hear the whispery call of blue-gray gnatcatchers, but trying to see them is a challenge, they're so tiny and tree-colored.  This time of year I hear them all through the woods so there must be dozens or hundreds of them out there singing their little hearts out in a voice so tiny it's rarely heard and never applauded. Maybe today I can be the blue-gray gnatcatcher singing its song from an invisible perch even if nobody's listening.

The one untrampled wild iris.

Fire pink.

Stonecrop.

Funny fungus.

Jack in the pulpit.

Morning star sedge.

Solomon's seal.

Mayapple.