Spring Woodland Notes

The kids and I really love to go on walks through the woods. We always keep our eyes open to find anything interesting. We have noticed that there are a lot of flowers blooming right now. The flowers in the above picture are called Spring Beauty. The whole of the woods are sprinkled with these flowers. We have been looking for mushrooms too but I think it is still a little early for them to be growing yet.

Violets are also beginning to bloom! We noticed that the May Apples have sprouted but don't have flowers on them yet. I learned recently that May Apples were known as Mandrake in the Middle Ages. The fruit is edible however the rest of the plant is poisonous. There are also a lot of wild raspberry canes. Maybe we'll be able to sample some berries before the bunnies find them this year!

The brightest greens in the woods are the mosses. So pretty! I really have a weakness for moss. I've transplanted some moss into the garden and also put some around the garden spigot. The grass is pretty shady and doesn't grow well but the moss has filled in a lot of the bare patches which is good for the yard...and you don't have to mow moss!

We found a little skull in the dry leaves, a reminder of how hard the winter had been. I'm not sure what animal it was, maybe a little fox? We didn't touch it however. But isn't Spring persistent? In the middle of dry leaves and dry bones a little green leaves sprout to life.