Monday, April 13, 2009

Spring Plant Life

After a long hard winter many of us have been looking for signs of spring wherever we can find it. One of the things that may not have been noticed in yesterday's post was green grass sprouting up, right near the snake I talked about. It was actually an exciting thing that I mostly overlooked.

One of the first things I saw when I got on the trail in this new park was green grass and a bed of wildflowers on both sides of the trail. This is important because it was the first time this year that I've seen either of these. Everywhere else I've been so far has been completely brown and gray.

I took a few closeup pictures of the grass just to prove to myself that it was actually there. It only just began to grow, so it's still very small. You can still see a lot of old leaves from last fall, but the grass will soon cover them all up until they're gone.

It's a wonderful sight to see the first grass of spring. I've been getting a little frustrated, because I expected this to happen already in some of the other nature preserves. No matter how much I whined at the forest to hurry up, it still didn't happen though. Seriously, I know when it starts, the green will show up very fast.

As I said, I was expecting the grass. What i didn't expect was to see flowers sprouting up. These little blue flowers were growing wherever the sun shined through the trees. I really have no idea what kind of flowers they are, and believe me, I searched all over the internet to try and find out. Maybe one of you flower experts know.

I guess it doesn't really matter as long as we can all enjoy the nice blue of these little flowers. I didn't try to touch any, because I don't carry any field guides with me. Touching an unknown plant might be a very bad thing. Who knows? Sometimes that pretty flower you'd want to pick might turn out to be poisonous.

Well, I passed by the area with the green grass and the flowers. I was getting deeper into the woods now, and I saw a wooden structure of some kind up ahead. The first thing that came to my mind was railroad tracks. It was a strange thought, and I don't know why it came to me.

I had no idea what else it could be though. I saw a wooden platform across the path, and wooden railings to either side. The trees blocked the rest. There shouldn't be railroad tracks out here, so what else could it be? Whatever it was, it looked interesting. I continued to move forward.

Yes, I did find out what it was, and I'll reveal it to you tomorrow.

16 comments:

  1. It could indeed be railroad tracks. I had the same thing in the woods around where I live and someone told me long ago that a train went through there and then they took it down an rebuilt the tracks in another area. I am wondering if that is the same in your case.

    Love the pictures of the wildflowers. I am right there with you wishing spring would hurry. I am getting sick of wearing winter hats.

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  2. It is good to see a variety of colours.

    This set of images remind me of the walk I used to go to school on.

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  3. The contrast between the flower and the background is nice...

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  4. Those blue flowers are pretty reminders that spring is in.

    Those wooden structures look interesting. I have no idea what they are, but they definitely look interesting.

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  5. Scene with wildflowers beside the trail is exactly what I am seeing. I love it.
    The railroad must be a hidden wonder. Or yet to see?

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  6. We have the same little blue flowers right on our yard/lake lot..I think they are called snowdrops. I will try and look them up in my wildflower book and get back to you if I find anything on them.
    I transplanted some into my rock garden last year and they came up this year! I took some photos too and hope to post them sometime his week. They had little bulbs on their roots when I transplanted them. I love the electric blue color of them against the brown ground this time of year. I am looking forward to the yellow wildflowers and the Trilliums too...you will see them coming up in the forest before long too!
    The Retirement Chronicles

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  7. Kallen - Many of those same thoughts went through my mind when I saw the view I showed here, but I can tell you that it definitely wasn't railroad tracks. It may be better, it may not be as good, but it has more to do with nature than a railroad.

    I'm getting sick of wearing winter clothes too, but not my coat. It has a lot of pockets.
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    Roentarre - I was getting tired of seeing only gray too.

    This place reminded me of a nice walk on an old country road. It gives a lot of good old memories.
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    Kruel - Yeah, those flowers take the edge off of all of that brown and gray.
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    Ron - The flowers are a nice indicator of new spring.

    I hope when I reveal what the structure really is, nobody will be too disappointed because it isn't a railroad. It turned out to be a nice place.
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    Rainfield - There should be even more wildflowers here pretty soon. No railroad, but it's still a nice place to see.
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    The Retired One - That may be the solution to the flower mystery. I need to get a few books myself, but there are so many. I just rely on the internet.

    Most flowers are a new discovery for me. I know a few that my grandma used to grow, but it's been a long time. The blue stands out against the brown really good, and it makes them easy to see. These new discoveries are all exciting for me.

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  8. Nature is throbbing with life if we care to examine it. Too bad many just don't appreciate God's beautiful creation.

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  9. oh, love the pictures, especially the first one, with the winding trail lined by blue wildflowers and the green grass and the still hibernating trees. glad to see spring has finally arrived in your place.

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  10. Yeo Kee Hui - That's right! Once we begin to really look at nature, it opens up a whole new world for us.
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    Betchai - When I first saw the wildflowers, I thought of your beautiful pictures of the fields full of them.

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  11. Ratty,
    I looked them up and they are not snowdrops...and I went on line, too...and can't find the name of them!
    Now you got me wondering what they are too!!!
    If you find out, post it! I will keep looking! The Retirement Chronicles

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  12. The Retired One - Thanks for looking. I was hoping that was the solution. I haven't been able to find out yet either, but I know somebody will. I'll definitely do another post when I find out. I'll need a few better pictures of them anyway.

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  13. Hi- I think they are Scilla siberica. Not a wildflower but a garden escape. Lovely park!

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  14. Sharkbytes - After reading the name you gave, I looked and saw that you were exactly right, as usual. As if I had any doubt. Thanks!

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  15. Well, thanks. I try to be knowledgeable on plants. Most of the other stuff is hit and miss. Don't give me any really hard tests! So great to see COLOR!

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  16. Sharkbytes - I remembered that you knew a lot about plants. When I wrote the story, I was kind of hoping you'd get this one. :)

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