This past week was a busy one as we cleaned windows inside and out, started work in the garden and visited the garden centre. Fewer walks were the consequence but the days we walked were exceptional. We witnessed the beauty of the leaves opening over a few days and the new green of late spring took hold.
This was the scene along a trail in the Rotary Friendship Park in Summerside on last Friday, May 30.
On Monday, May 26, this was the same scene.
The area looked bare in comparison on Wednesday, May 21st.
Witnessing the change in the leaves over nine days has been a privilege as the new green of nature awakens for another growing season.
On the forest floor, a sighting of a Painted Trillium is a rare treat. I have only ever seen two others in my years on the island.
Also on the forest floor, thousands of Star Flowers are blooming between tufts of grass.
Canada Mayflower is beginning to bloom and will look beautiful when the buds are all open.
False Solomon’s Seal may bloom this coming week.
Early last week, Serviceberry shrubs were in full bloom in the understory of the forest. The blooms may not have survived the high winds of this past weekend. We shall see later this week.
A Hairy Woodpecker appeared in a tree along a trail one day, and I watched with interest, wondering if the hole was the entrance to Woody’s nest.
Male Mallards are spending time alone these days as the females are nesting.
Along the boardwalk, new Red Squirrels are out and about, not afraid to approach people, like their parents before them.
Finally, we were fortunate this past weekend the torrential rain of Saturday and the high winds of Sunday didn’t happen on the same day.
On Sunday, the white caps on the muddy sea indicate high winds.
Enjoy the first week of June!