The shape of things...

Spring is a wee bit slow this year. Soon the rain will come bringing its coat of green to the forest. It occurred to me that these are the last moments when the forest is at its starkest; its shape and flaws are apparent. Soon I will be distracted by all things green and the underlying beauty will be cloaked from view once again. 

It is a human flaw, or perhaps just a flaw in me, that I harbour an unrealistic expectation, maybe just a hope, that things remain the same in my world. We have lived here for almost 25 years now and nothing in my personal landscape has remained the same; there are welcome additions, mourned losses, and goodness knows that a glance in the mirror shouts that I am changed, so it is foolish of me to expect my surroundings to have remained static.  

It just seems like the forest landscapes are so very changed in the last year or two. The loudest sound that I heard on a section of rail trail the other day, was hammering. The city and county renegotiated boundaries and this has allowed a vast new area to be developed which now leaves only a narrow green band at the edges of the path. So very distressing.

Across that field houses are being built and you can see the blue of the insulation and the plywood of roofing

The number of trees felled by erosion, weather, infestation or age recently seems distressingly large to me. The number of grand old trees in the forest is decreasing and this time of year gives a last moment to properly admire the shape of their canopy and the texture of their bark.

  

Such marvelous variety.

This hemlock shines when the deciduous trees are bare.

The winter is also the time when the beauty of sycamore trees is displayed.

The forest floor that is now so open, will soon be shuttered from view by the green things that are sleeping in the ground and getting ready to waken. They will disguise the fallen logs and the banks of the creeks and soften the appearance of the years damage.

Bank erosion bares the roots of this tree..

and the roots of this tree are now on the surface of this wetland. 

Being the optimist that I am..not, I tend to be distrustful of change, thinking of it almost always, in a negative way. My children, who are more pragmatic, remind me that change is a normal and natural process that is to be expected. My mature response is 'well, I don't have to like it!'. I think that our trees are precious and wish that they were impervious to peril and pestilence.

A man was walking his dog in a conifer section of the forest recently and he had a pole over shoulder, like a 1930's hobo. Our paths intersected a little later, and I saw that he was carrying 2 bags of collected garbage and a tire on his pole over his shoulder. He told me that for the past two years, he had been collecting trash from this section of forest. I thanked him for his work and told him how admirable I thought it was. 

He told me that that this area was a dumping area many years ago when this part of town was not densely settled. At some point the city decided to plant a pine forest in this spot with the goal of harvesting them at a later date. When that time arrived, folks had decided that they were now enjoying the forest as a place to walk and blocked the harvesting of the trees. Good outcome right? Well, except for the fact that these trees have a specific lifespan, and were also planted in a pattern for harvesting so not with a healthy mix of trees for sustainability. So, what is now happening is that the trees are coming of age at the same time, vulnerable to age and pests at the same time, and are now falling like dominoes. This gives a perspective for some of the startling recent changes in this forest tract. You never know who you will meet or what you will learn during a random conversation when you are walking.

The greening of the forest will make many other things less obvious, like

 traces of the railways that passed the borders of farms in this area... or

this red-tailed hawk's nest...

this hidey hole for a napping raccoon...

or this worn stone that marks a judgement about a land border dispute. Fascinating, but nearly invisible once the grasses grow at the road edge.

Today's rain will bring green to the lawns and buds to the trees. The excitement of seeking out new signs of spring will probably assuage this momentary melancholy, but it is a good practice to mark the changing of the season with appreciation for the beauty displayed by each one. Maybe more so when the days seem to pass more swiftly, and on those days when life seems a bit more uncertain. 

Siren Call

The siren call of the outdoors is persuasive and insistent. I hear it above the voice of my mother reminding me that vacuuming should be done and perhaps some spring cleaning is in order. Her voice is no longer audible as I no longer have her physical presence, but the lessons of many years are difficult to silence. However, the sun is beguiling and I heard a song sparrow yesterday, so the need to walk in the forest is stronger than the guilty call of housework ..shocking, I know.

The return of the song sparrow is an encouraging sign and sound of spring. They have a distinctive song and usually perch where they can be easily seen as they sing. They can be identified by their streaky breast with a central brown spot.

There are still sounds that are more reminiscent of fall; the rustle of the oak leaves that remain on the trees as well as the leaves on the ground that are now freed of their snow cover. They are light and brittle and the wind swirls them across the path.

I paused by a pine tree when I heard clicking sounds. It took time to realize that the sound was coming from the female cones, opening a scale at a time in the warmth of the sun. Fascinating!

The river is ice-free and appears calm, but the volume of water is still high.  From this vantage point above the river I can see the changes that have been made by flood waters, ice and wind. The trees on the island are so damaged that high perches are no longer available to the bald eagles. The river bank on the far side has been carved away so that it is now much steeper.

Even though the river looks quiet, its surface is broken regularly by the ripples of diving ducks like Common Goldeneyes and Common Mergansers.

Today there was also a solitary Mute Swan...

and as usual a complement of noisy Canada Geese. These birds generally mate for life and do not breed until their fourth year. A nest is constructed on the ground or possibly on an obliging muskrat's mound. The riverbank and its islands are locations fraught with danger if all the ice has not yet cleared the river system.

This little patch of sunshine is winter aconite, which will push up through the snow to bloom even earlier than crocuses. These have probably escaped from a local garden and naturalized by the path, a little spring serendipity.

Skunk cabbage is still emerging in low-lying areas and often one of those first glimpses of spring colour. As the plant matures, the hooded spathe opens up to allow insects access to the inner spadix which is covered with tiny flowers that need to be pollinated. 

In a shallow ditch, on a more protected section of path, the increased warmth was pushing the production of leaves on the skunk cabbages ahead.

The purple scales of the wildflower Coltsfoot were also pushing up through the dead grass in response to this warmth. The flowers are similar to dandelions in their colour and basic shape; little circles of sunshine.

It crossed my mind that as spring advanced, there would be some special things that would no longer be visible, such as little tracks that evidenced the movement of critters across the landscape.

Seedpods, like this one from the prickly honey locust tree will degrade...

cocoons will open and release their inhabitants..

and entrances to chipmunk dwellings will become less obvious.

More colourful blossoms may distract from less obvious plants like the primeval liverwort..

or the tiny moss sporophytes...

and even this vivid patch of orange iron bacteria in the ditch will disappear beneath the plants and reeds that will soon grow up there.

Given the fact that there will always be dishes to wash, clothes to launder and floors to vacuum, a strong argument can be made for spending a little time each day to capture those things that are fleeting. Maybe a wildflower..or a wee boy at just this age..the shape of a tree..or the sound of that first song sparrow. I think I will continue to heed that siren call.

Is it Spring yet?

The dark clouds break and a strange new light appears upon the land...

The calendar is announcing the start of a new season. Today is the Spring Equinox, that balance point between the dark hours and the light ones, and a time to pause, reflect and re-balance ourselves. Most of us are not connected to the cycles of the earth except perhaps if we have a vegetable patch that we plant or a flower garden that we tend, in which case we now look forward to the preparation of the soil and the choosing of our plants. Taking stock of where we are in our personal life, and planning changes in our path is a healthy practice as life tends to often compel us in a direction and at a speed which does not leave room for reflection. 

This birch tree reminds me that just as the earth begins to shed its coat of snow and ice, so am I eager to shed the trappings of winter, the coats and boots, and those sneaky extra pounds resulting from winter's comfort foods. 

Spring generally approaches slowly; the temperatures will fluctuate, water levels will rise and fall, and we may yet see snow on the ground. If you walk a path in the morning, the prints in the mud from the previous day, will be frozen in place, yet by the afternoon, the sun will soften the mud and it will try and remove your boot from your foot. 

Most lawns are still wearing their winter coat of brown not even giving a nod to St. Patrick this past week. On the forest floor, the moss is brilliant by contrast and virtually all that is green as yet. 

Robins are the iconic harbinger of spring, but it is not true that all robins migrate. It is true that most migrate, with only a portion remaining in the north dependent on the availability of fruit to sustain them through the cold months. I think though, that it is safe to say that when robins start appearing on lawns and trees in your neighborhood, spring is close by. 

Other 'springy' things are going on right now. The deer are moving from their winter grounds to their summer ones, so can be seen in large groups around dusk.

Migration of other birds is beginning. Our area is a flight path for returning trumpeter swans. Some will stay in this area to nest, while others will continue on to nest in other places. 

That small flock landed in this cornfield possibly just to rest, and possibly to wait for others still in flight.

Male Red-winged blackbirds are just now arriving. They return in advance of the females in order to choose a nesting area and establish a territory. When the females arrive, the males will gather together their 'harem' of many females, and oversee all the nests established at their chosen 'address'. 

There are many birds for whom Southern Ontario is their nesting destination, but many others only stop for only a few days to recharge before continuing on. Today I was in Hamilton and saw this solitary male Ring-necked duck on a partially thawed pond. This golden-eyed diving duck has a distinctive ring on his bill, hence his name, ringed-neck?!? I don't expect he will stay on this pond for long, but he may return for a stop in the fall on his way south. 

As the ice recedes on other ponds, muskrats can be seen out in the sun looking for something fresh to eat and enjoying the freedom to swim in open water again.

The local population of Canada Geese is swelling with return of migrating flocks. You will find them in parks, on lawns...

and factory roofs. Before long they will be constructing nesting mounds near the river, hopefully after any chance of flooding is past.

I am so mindful of the privilege of living in a country which has four seasons. While there is beauty in each one, Spring brings a unique sense of hope, joy and renewal. The prospect of buds appearing on trees and bulbs sprouting energizes the soul and builds anticipation of hours spent in the enjoyment of this bounty. Perhaps then on this day of balance, it is good to reflect on whether my life is in a healthy state of balance, what steps might be needed to retain or regain that healthy place including how I want to spend myself and my time. 

"Music comes from an icicle as it melts, to live again as spring water"

Henry Williamson