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To celebrate the lovely weather, @Lithros and I took the kids on a Moss Hunt. Join us for a recap!
Rubber boots and a walking stick bigger than self is recommended.
Rubber boots and a walking stick bigger than self is recommended.
People like to dump potted plants in the woodsy buffer at the edge of our neighborhood. This lone daffodil is a real survivor. We now enter the space beyond the landscaping maintenance crews...
Also, we burried the chipmunk here when the neighborhood cat left it on our doorstep.
Also, we burried the chipmunk here when the neighborhood cat left it on our doorstep.
Our first moss sighting!
Daughter is not too impressed because she still swinging around that giant stick.
Daughter is not too impressed because she still swinging around that giant stick.
Then we start checking out the trees which offer us more moss, plus lichen and a neat little hidey-hole.
Daughter suggests we play "how many people can walk side-by-side and still fit through these two trees." Conclusion: two can fit through most openings, three cannot.
Daughter suggests we play "how many people can walk side-by-side and still fit through these two trees." Conclusion: two can fit through most openings, three cannot.
Wildflowers! The yellow ones are called "Marsh Marigolds" and are members of the buttercup family. I'm happy to say I looked it up last year and actually remembered it.
Learning the local flora names is one of my long term goals.
Learning the local flora names is one of my long term goals.
We turn down to a wide open path. A pipeline runs under here. In the summer, it will be filled with tall grasses and probably lots of ticks.
The white-tailed deer love it here! On summer evenings, you can easily spot a family. Since the ground is pretty soft, we can find lots of footprints and...oh, yes, droppings.
"Spoor" @Lithros tells me. I guess learning all the fecal names is his goal.
"Spoor" @Lithros tells me. I guess learning all the fecal names is his goal.
Beautiful moss and nature trifecta!
-moss with spores
-wildflower
-thing that fell off the budding trees
Best photo so far
-moss with spores
-wildflower
-thing that fell off the budding trees
Best photo so far
Daughter is our gondolier and we must walk behind her as she uses the giant stick to paddle us along the river. She's very upset when I leave the boat to snap these photos of excellent moss covered logs and ... tree fungi! But she comes running to check it out anyway.
Daughter is done with our wayward examination of Mother Earth's ornamentation and plows on ahead. Son obigingly sleeps in baby carrier while I get detailed texture shots.
Think the thorns are Wineberry Bush and the blossoms are Ornamental Pear Tree
Think the thorns are Wineberry Bush and the blossoms are Ornamental Pear Tree
It's been a nice walk and now it's time to head home. I hope we brought the fresh breeze and the soft, wet smell of the Earth waking up to you, wherever you are.
Thanks to @eggprophet for inspiring this walk and this thread! Stay curious and carry a big stick.
Thanks to @eggprophet for inspiring this walk and this thread! Stay curious and carry a big stick.
