It Has Begun

"I stuck my head out the window this morning and Spring kissed me bang on the face."
– Langston Hughes

Yup, Spring has definitely sprung, and my weekly walk in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park certainly showed it. It's much greener now, and all of the Daffodils along the trail by the creek are blooming, as are a myriad small flowers that require that I do the patented Hilbinger Belly-Crawl to get a good macro shot of them. And oh look, it's Turkle Time! I saw my first-of-the-year Painted Turtle sunning on a stick in the bog pool next to the north duck pond. And to top it off, I saw this year's first Northern Water Snake in their favorite perch - on a branch over the creek. This was an older one; its signature brown bars had faded and it was a solid gray-brown, a sure sign of age in this species. Mama Gaia is waking up after her long Winter sleep!

Chickweed is growing all along the Dykeman Walking Trail

So is Heal-All

A Pussywillow catkin in full bloom along the trail

Daffodils along the creek

More Daffodils along the creek

The Northern Water Snake on its perch over the creek

A sunning Painted Turtle

Part of a large patch of Corn Speedwell on the berm around the north duck pond

© 2019 by A. Roy Hilbinger