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.

Rotary Trail

The woodlands have come to life. The forest floor which had been covered in detritus, has turned green with the plants of summer. Our recent walk on the Rotary Trail on the east end of our city, gave us an opportunity to observe some of the smaller beauties.

A single dandelion flower is pretty by itself but millions are visible in the fields adjacent to the trail. Some bloom along the trail as well but the fields are a bee’s delight.

Violets grow along the trail and through the woods. These tiny little flowers are close to the ground and easy to miss as you go.

Ferns are growing rapidly now. The Interrupted Ferns are tall, already dwarfing other ferns which are slower to mature. 

Starflowers are early risers from the forest floor 

as are the Wild Lily of the Valley. 

At first glance one only sees the leaves, but both plants are worth a closer look.

Young trees are spread out in the June sunshine.

The air is filled with the sound of birds, but the only one visible is this Mourning Dove which takes a passing glance at the elderly woman taking its photo.

Along the way, we pass fields planted with potatoes and grass which will become hay. There is a softness to the countryside now as the leaves and blooms on the trees create pretty boundaries between the fields. 

Oh look! We can have a picnic.