Deeper into Spring

 

Thrilled to visit with the lovely Calypso orchids

more commonly called Fairy Slippers

Native stonecrop succulents that slept beneath winter's snow 

have sprung to life in perfection

along with joyous moss

 

 

 tis the season for lovely morels

or should I say yummy morels

make two wishes

one for you

and one for our lovely world

~

*

 

Ice crystals

 

                when the sun peaks over the tall conifer forest and spreads light throughout my little hollow

 

sparkles of ice crystals that grew through the night light up the world

 

winter becomes a magical realm of sparkly crystals

~

*

I adore this flower

with it's lemon yellow dots

that turn to marigold as they head to the tips of it's petals

offering cherry red  at the end

lovely little cliff dwellers that grow on a mossy mat on rock outcroppings

the elegant Queen's cup

a single white flower on each plant

and when the flower goes to seed 

it offers the world a single blue colored berry (not edible)

We have indeed entered berry season:

I was on a camping trip last week 

So hungry for breakfast

stopped the van to take a photo....

and little bushes of fat berries offered themselves to me!

Huckleberry season!

mountain roads are where I wander often

they beckon

(half they year they are closed due to snow and ice)

it is such a joy to see fields of flowers

and gems of dew on morning flowers

the season of flowing waters

Lovely day and beyond to you!

~

*

 

The season of bears and flowers ~

Wandering the woods, breathing with trees, photographing spring treasures, I heard a unique scrambling sound. 

One is wise to take note of sounds while in the wilds of this NW corner of Montana. 

For we live with the critters of fairy tales. 

Looking in the direction of the sound I saw a black bear scurrying up a tall conifer tree, bark flying as she did. 

Oh! 

Since she was kind of far and up a tree I snapped a few photos. 

But really, she got up that tree so fast, she could have gotten to me before I knew what was happening. 

Later I learned that my camera captured her two little cubs! She had sent her cubs to safety and followed after them. 

A good bear encounter!

Each May, when wandering the woods, my eyes scan the forest floor for fairy slippers, the calypso orchid. 

 Absolutely thrilling! 

and

shooting stars

a little past its prime

yet still a thrill to find

the highly sought after morel mushroom

moss is growing

and so beautiful up close!

~

*

 

Honoring Glacier Lilies

we hiked up a boulder strewn canyon

boulders larger by far than us

boulders covered in lichen and moss

when we got to the cliffs above

we were greeted in spring flowers!

lovely glacier lilies

our natural world is sublime

~

*

Grizzly

yesterday

a bear, grizzly bear walked through....

I was fairly far from it

it stood up to have a good look at me

or smell of me?

the bear was hunting a ground squirrel

it circled this leaning tree

dug at the earth

stood up and pounced:

it caught the ground squirrel (gopher) 

and 

sauntered off into the woods to eat in private

~

one never knows what one will see in the woods

~

*

Stepping into a Fairy tale

I donned xc skis

and headed through the woods, meadows and hills 

the wilds around home

after an hour I arrived at a tangled forest along a creek

you know the kind of woods that you have to bend and twist to get through 

the limbs of trees and bushes

grab your hat and cloak each step of the way

along the waters edge

snow turned into geometry crystals

sacred geometry

it was layers and layers deep, perhaps a dozen layers 

of delicate yet strong sheets of these icy layers

a pile of flicker (woodpecker group) feathers were scattered on a log and snow

someone dinned in these shadowy woods

a lone wolf had passed the same path that morning

ice formations showed the beauty of branches in a unique way

upon return

I had the honor of holding a little junco until it felt well enough to fly away

after colliding with a window

~

it truly felt like a fairy-tale day

~

*

Glimpses of a Creek Walk

beneath the milky ice

runs cold water

rocks nestled down for winter

(which is nearly spring)

flowing

frozen

nature's art

nature's life

recent snow

offers glimpses never seen before

artful offerings

pink bark!

in the shadowy darkness...... light

platinum beauty

~

wishing you peace

calm

beauty 

from the inside out

~

*

Winter Begins, NW Montana

Autumns often deep cold days

inspired the spirit and stance of hibernation early for me

the forest cloaked in snow is lovely 

with a deep sense of quiet

 

the little birds still come to me

inspiring joy and calm all at once

this mountain chickadee has a much narrower head than most of them 

sweet black capped chickadee

landing for a sunflower seed

chestnut-backed chickadee

These are the three chickadees that visit me

and then there is the nuthatch:

if it weren't for the tiny birds

a winter hush would be throughout the land

~

lovely holidays to you and yours

Sweet Solstice to one and all!

slowly our days will become longer......

~

*