Blue Water, Blue Wall

    Happy Earth Day! If this were a national holiday, we w ould all take  Monday off to walk in the woods, or paddle a quiet lake, or bike a few miles.  We aren’ t quite that advanced as a society, but there is no excuse for not taking a few minutes to go outside and appreciate th e beauty of S pring in the Upstate. Thanks to the recent rains, the streams and creeks and rivers are full; waterfalls are rambunctious. The birds are singing, the weather is behaving, and no mosquitoes are biting. Nirvana! Enjoy it while it lasts!    

  E phemeral wildflowers are like the cool, dry days of Spring: they only last for a little while, so we need to get out and enjoy them while they last . This group of woodland plants sprout before the leaves on the trees emerge, quickly bloom and produce seeds, and as the trees begin to block the sun, and the weather warms up, they disappear for another year. The fleeting beauty is somehow made more special by its brevity, and at this time of year there are many groups exploring the wonders of our native woods. I joined one of them last week for a trip to the Nine Times Heritage Preserve, where we saw bloodroot, foamflower, trillium, trout lily, and much, much more!  

All the projects which should be getting my attention are on hold. My attention, instead, is captured – captivated – by the miracle of watching the birth of baby leaves. This is a most simple preoccupation, but no matter where I go outside, my attention turns to the baby leaves. Some unfold like a pair of hands, others unfurl. My favorite baby leaves are on the hickory trees. They remind me of the birth of a human child, tightly curled into a little ball, but slowly stretching and lengthening to absorb the warm spring sunshine. It happens, if you are patient enough to watch, right before your eyes.    Maybe it’s silly, this fascination with baby leaves, but it’s one of the reasons I love the great outdoors. Plus it’s a pretty good reason to blow off work and go for a walk in the woods. What’s your reason? ~K     DID YOU KNOW?     The mighty Eastern hemlock, capable of growing 175 feet tall and of living 800 years, has been brought down to near extincti on...

    Blue Wall Weekly, 4.1.13     Spring’s Eventual Arrival (Blurb of the Week)     Speaking of patience, t hank you, Spring, for taking your own sweet time arriving. I like how you remind us that we’re not the boss of you. Here at the base of the Blue Wall the tree buds are right at the bursting point, swollen, elongating, but Spring is teasing us, blooming out loud in places, and in others holding tight to her bare silhouette. This gives us a little more time to appreciate the naked framework of branches against the sky, and to watch birds flitting around as they, too, wait for leaf cover before beginning their own rites of Spring.