May 28

Saturday was a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi.  The midday weather was mostly cloudy with a temperature of 60 degrees and a light wind out of the west.  Before descending the hill toward Mallard Marsh, I planned to focus on the smells and scents of nature in the springtime. I stopped at Mallard Marsh and pulled a Cattail shoot out of the water. The bottom white part had the subtle smell of cucumber. Walking through Bobolink Meadow, I pulled up a Wild Carrot plant. Not surprisingly, the root had a strong carroty smell. I entered North Woods and followed the trail west where I noticed that some large, umbrella-leaf Mayapples were blooming. I picked one of the attractive, 3-in diameter flowers with white petals and a yellow center and sniffed it. I was surprised that there was no detectable scent. I got off the trail and headed 30 yards further west to find a patch of Wild Leeks. I picked one and sniffed its strong onion-like odor. I exited North Woods and continued around Succession Field where I looked up with my binoculars near the top of a birch tree to see a beautiful Indigo Bunting singing loudly. I paused at a Honeysuckle shrub to take in the sweet scent of the pink blossoms. I entered South Woods and hiked along Swanson Swamp where I picked a leaf from a Witch Hazel tree and crushed it between my fingers to smell its citrusy aroma. Next, I stopped to pick a leaf from a Prickly Ash tree. I crushed it with my fingers and smelled its lemony aroma. Exiting South Woods, I continued past Artist Overlook and hiked along the edge of Sora Swale where I smelled the fragrant blossoms of a Crab Apple tree. I followed the south trail and turned at Frog Fen toward Brady Cemetery where I paused to take in the scent of pine needles from one of the small White Pine trees as well as the scent of white blossoms from a Red Osier Dogwood shrub. Then I paused at the entrance to the cemetery to smell the fragrant white flowers of a Butterfly Bush. I entered Native Grassland and noticed a reddish-brown Brown Thrasher flying past me and perching on a tree. Continuing around Grebe Pond, I checked out the Killdeer nest and noticed that it was empty. Since the chicks are precocial (they are mobile and able to follow parents right after hatching), I was not surprised that there was no sign of the fledglings or the parent birds. As I headed toward the barn, I recalled a few days ago when the wind was from the southeast, taking in the manure smell from the large cattle farm two miles away. Next, I walked to the east side of the cement slab next to barn to enjoy the strong minty scent of Common Tansy leaves. This plant has long been used as a natural insect repellant. Finally, another hike was finished so my nose and I got in the van and took off for home.

Through all the frozen winter 


My nose has grown most lonely

For lovely, lovely, colored smells 


That come in springtime only.

The purple smell of lilacs,

The yellow smell that blows

 Across the air of meadows

 Where bright forsythia grows.

The tall pink smell of peach trees,

The low white smell of clover,

And everywhere the great green smell

Of grass the whole world over.

Kathryn Worth