The new green of spring

The leaves are on the trees now, having opened here in the Maritimes this past week. We had two days with temperatures of 30 degrees C and high winds which were disastrous for wildfires in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. We didn’t have much rain this spring and the forests were full of downed trees from Fiona last fall, tinder ready. Much of Canada has wildfires raging however. It is easy to get lost in the tragedies. In the east, a forecasted week of wet, cold weather will help with the fires.

Meanwhile, this past week, my husband and I enjoyed the burgeoning spring which has long been posted about by fellow bloggers throughout the Northern Hemisphere. We are slow of leaf here is Eastern Canada. However, enjoying every minute possible is a way to lift one’s thoughts beyond the tragedies, environmental and otherwise which abound today.

We continue to walk every day, if not on the boardwalk 

or the Rotary Friendship Park, we head further afield for a walk and a picnic such as recent excursions to Cavendish, Bonshaw, Cape Egmont and Tignish Shores.

Plants of the forest floor are thriving now, as green takes over on multiple levels in the forest. 

Tiny beauties such as starflower abound 

as do wild strawberry blooms.

A painted trillium was a wonderful surprise this week, one of two varieties which grow on the island.

The blossoms on trees are brief but glorious. They cause us pause, to take in the delicate buds and blooms, 

the subtle colours, the pistils and stamens, 

ensuring fruit for another harvest. 

Meanwhile, the animals go about their lives, the migratory birds having returned already. Some stop briefly while others, like the Great Blue Heron, 

grace the landscape for the warmer months.

Spring is brief here, but welcome, enjoyed and appreciated. Nature has adapted to the short bounty of suitable conditions and so have we. 

As I write this on Sunday to post Monday, it is windy, raining and feels like 3 degrees Celsius. We will don our winter clothes and walk between the drops amid the new green of spring.

Back to Bonshaw

We looked forward to our first walk and picnic at Bonshaw this year. It is one of our favourite walking areas and we like to visit it at various times from spring through fall. We hadn’t been there since post tropical storm Fiona blew through late last September and we knew the area had been damaged, but we were not prepared for the devastation.  

The playground area is deceptive. There is little visible damage around the open space and equipment in that area and one would think all is well at Bonshaw. 

One has to look closely along the perimeter to notice tree stumps. Entry to the main trail breaks the illusion quickly however. 

My husband and I were quiet for a long time as we walked the main trail, taking in the sight before us. An area which once had shade from the canopy even before the leaves come out, looked as it it had been clear cut. Words escaped us.

On both sides of the trail, it was the same, an occasional tree survived but most had not. Some trees now make lean-tos with the survivors, prevented from falling by the more stalwart individuals. Other trees took the root systems with them as they toppled, making pancakes of earth and roots which stand vertically now taller than we are. 

People had worked hard to open these trails again, as trees across paths had been cut and left along the margins. It will be generations before this area returns to its former glory. Autumn certainly won’t be the same with the canopy destroyed as it is.

Update:

I am undergoing physiotherapy for my left arm and shoulder, injured when I fell off my bike. I am doing better this week but it is slow going. My husband suggested I have a new electric three wheeler however I am not ready to give up the two wheels yet. Now, I realize aging is a reverse of childhood when one is eager to go from three wheels to two. Reluctance is the dominant feeling these days though safety will win the day.

Finally this week, the leaves are almost out on the trees and blooms are out on the trails. Overhead, the blooms and blue sky remind us to enjoy what is!