Spring in the Woods
Is there a better place to be on a sunny Sunday afternoon in spring than in the woods? There might be (Kay, for instance, would probably say the monadnocks), but as far as I was concerned last Sunday, when I set out for a walk from my parents' allotment, there was no place I'd rather have been than in the nearby woods.
I walked for about two hours, and although I met other people every now and then, I was on my own most of the time. The only sounds were the birds and bumblebees. It was warm enough to go short-sleeved, and I enjoyed my walk immensely. It was just what I needed after six days of lessons, and I am glad I had (and took!) this opportunity.
Such different shades of green and white! You only get to see this for a short time every year.
I'm afraid this picture doesn't do the woods justice; there was a true carpet of anemona.
I have walked most of these trails before, but I still find it intriguing to look along one of them and imagine what could be round the next bend.
The picture on the left is looking back the way I have just come. The one on the right shows a path leading down into a valley with a series of small lakes (or ponds, depending on how you define them). This time, I chose not to go there; I could hear what sounded like lots of people with lively children down there, and I wasn't in the mood for that.
Instead, I went the opposite way, up the steps, until I reached this trail.
Violets are so pretty, and there were lots between the anemona, but they don't easily show in a picture unless you take a close-up.
This grassy path is my favourite spot. Hardly anyone ever seems to be walking there; it is very quiet and gets very warm in the sun. I observed many butterflies but was always too slow for them with my camera, so you'll just have to believe me that they were there.
In summer, when all is green and leafy, you hardly notice how many different kinds of trees there really are in the woods.
Back towards my parents' allotment, along the rapeseed fields that are already flowering - it felt like June, not like the last days of March!
So far, I always said that summer is my favourite time of the year. Right now, I say it is spring.
Hello Meike:
ReplyDeleteThere is something very satisfying on occasion about a solitary walk. And when passed in such very pleasing surroundings, it can become all the more enjoyable. How fortunate you are to have these woods close to hand and to be able to observe the many different signs of Nature that this season brings.
Solitary walks are the ones I enjoy most, and remember best. Of my truly great holiday in Yorkshire last year, when there was sunshine every day and not a single drop of rain during the entire time I spent there, the one event that stands out most shiny in my mind is the long walk on my own when I tried a different route from Ripon to Fountains Abbey.
DeleteHow beautiful it all is....Your season is quite a bit ahead of ours this year. We do have wood anemones here, but I've never seen them in such profusion. You chose a great way to spend your Sunday afternoon!
ReplyDeleteIt really is a beautiful area there, Kristi, and it was the best way for me to spend the afternoon. From what I read on websites and in the paper, the season is about 3-4 weeks ahead this year, after the very mild winter.
DeleteVery glorious there; I've never seen anenomes in the wild, and the trees ; how pretty they must look if a wind comes up and they sway. I'm glad you had your nature time after all your hard work studying!
ReplyDeletexx
julie
It was just what I needed, Julie!
DeleteBeautiful. "The groves were God's first temples." ~ William Cullen Bryant, A Forest Hymn
ReplyDeleteWhat a fitting quote, thank you!
DeleteLooks like a lovely walk. As usual, you are a bit ahead of us - as you should be, living further south! Spring is coming along here too but I've not yet seen any wood anemones in bloom.
ReplyDeleteIt is only such a short time of the year that you can see all this, and I wish to get hold of it and keep it (which is partly made possible by taking pictures and writing about it on here).
DeleteWhat a wonderful walk you had. I live close to a forest, so know just how wonderful they are in the spring.
ReplyDeleteNever in my life have I felt scared in a forest, like I knew some of my class mates to feel. My parents made sure to spend plenty of time with us outdoors when we were little, and they always seemed to feel quite at home there, so we never had reason to feel any different.
DeleteHa! Yes, I love my monadnocks, it is true! Thanks for linking to me, dear Meike!
ReplyDeleteNow, as much as I love my mountains (monadncocks), I love trees too! We have lots of trails at Arabia, Panola and Stone Mountain that go through a lot of beautiful woods and Richard and I spend a lot of time there, especially in the late spring and summer when it is WAY too hot to walk upon the solid rock of the monadnocks! Just yesterday, on the hike at Panola Mountain, the woods that we walked through to get to the mountain were enjoyed as much as the flowers on the mountain!
Isn't it wonderful that you can "have it all" on such trails, Kay - flowers and trees and birds and sun and butterflies and mountains and great views, plus of course the company of each other!
DeleteOh Meike how fortunate you are to have trees like that through which to walk so relatively close to home. There is something peaceful and heart-lifting and 'cosy' about them. I suppose when I'm on Lewis with it's rugged, wild and glorious expanses of land the thing I miss most is trees.
ReplyDeleteInteresting point, Graham. I think I have mentioned before (probably in comments on your blog more than once) how much I love wide open spaces. But I guess if I were to live there, or be there for a longer stay, I'd start missing something without actually being able to put a finger on it - and I think it would be trees, too.
DeleteHow nice to have a place which really satisfies you. It can be quite perfect to be out on a lovely day when everything is coming to life around you.
ReplyDeleteSo true, Jenny! And all the more when that life around me does not involve too many people :-)
DeleteI so love your walks. You have such beautiful countryside around you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nan. I think that, too, and feel very blessed for it.
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