March 11

Wednesday, I hiked alone at Forest Hill Nature Area. However, Remi’s leg is healing well and hope he’ll soon be joining me. The early morning weather was clear as the rising sun burned off a thin layer of ground fog while the temperature was 28 degrees and no wind. From the top of Energy Hill, my shadow and I gazed west at a thawing landscape. While descending the hill, I heard and saw a lone Canada goose flying nearby. After passing Mallard Marsh and Bobolink Meadow, I came to the entrance of North Woods, where I spotted a tiny patch of colorful British Soldier Lichens on a rotten stump while further into the woods, I noticed some unique red lichens on another tree next to the boardwalk. Exiting the woods, I began circling Succession Field where a gibbous moon was setting above the tall, leafless oaks to the west. Next, I stopped and bent down to see tiny grass shoots beginning to emerge from a frozen earth, another sign of the season to come. Further ahead at a place where I discovered a fresh deer carcass several weeks ago, only clumps of hair remained. I turned to face the sun, hiked down Birch row and entered South Woods where I noticed some moss and Green shield Lichens at the base of an Ash tree. Following the trail, I discovered an unusually large pile of fox scat next to a tuff of rabbit fur. Leaving the woods, I turned east, ambled past Artist Overlook and followed south trail to Brady Cemetery where much of the snow had melted. I turned north, walked through Native Grassland and paused at an ice-covered Grebe Pond. Finally, I headed toward the barn to complete another hike.

Images of summer

Verdant is the field

Grasses and flowers

Nature revealed

Images of winter

Stark is the field

Barren and bleak

Nature concealed

Under patches of white

Under blades of brown

Frozen earth cracks

Green breaks ground

D. DeGraaf