On the edge of Spring

As I write this, the hours of daylight are getting longer, college students are planning their Spring Break escapes to Florida and the first day of Spring is just two days away. The rain may be pouring down from a leaden sky, but the promise of nice weather and sunshine is almost within reach! I love flowers, but I am not a green-fingered gardener, so, when the spring finally arrives, I head for the woods with my camera, to enjoy the wildflowers that pop up every year. 

My favorite place to visit is Hawthorn Hollow, a local nature sanctuary and arboretum, started in the mid 1930s by schoolteacher sisters. As well as the woodland flowers, there are daffodils and flowering trees to photograph and enjoy. In the woods, the wildflowers are not as flashy but what they lack in size, they make up for in sheer numbers! There are Trillium, Wood Violet and Trout Lily, Jack in the Pulpit and Fiddlehead Fern. The new season's growth spreads a green carpet throughout the woods. It fills my soul! If I time my visit right, I can wander for an hour or two and come home revived, with a couple of hundred photos. Fiddleheads fascinate me with the way they unfurl-I try to catch them at curly perfection; too early and the ground is bare, too late and they are just leafy plants!  They have a pre-historic vibe; I find myself imagining small dinosaurs munching on them. Tiny Trout Lilies bend their heads modestly towards the ground. You have to get down to their level to see how beautiful they are! (Getting up is another challenge!)

The woods are alive with birds and small animals too. They are harder to photograph than the flowers, but sometimes I get lucky with a long lens and a fast shutter! The squirrels and chipmunks take advantage of the bird feeders near the visitor center, competing with Baltimore Orioles, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Cowbirds. 

Life is busy and we often forget to slow down and notice the beauty that is all around us! So, as Spring begins, take a walk in the woods and take time to smell the violets!

Hawthorn Hollow is in Kenosha County, just west of Green Bay Road. To learn more or support their mission, go to: https://hawthornhollow.org/