At the last minute, we decided to go on a Botanical Society walk. We've been caught up with work and it's easy to fall into a rhythm of work-home-repeat. (And for a workaholic like me, even the sanctuary of home isn't safe from work!) So, we decided to take a day off and go for a walk. Unfortunately, we picked the wrong Roaring Run and missed our friends from the Botanical Society. (They were at the Roaring Run outside of Apollo.) Even so, we decided to make the best of it and have a good time. We spent the afternoon walking the trail, identifying plants and exploring Roaring Run (in Champion).
It had rained recently and the water was moving well! Close to the water, it was easy to see how this area got its name! At points, you couldn't hear anything except for the rush of the water over stones.
Along our walk, I found this huge blob of sap. It was about the size of a squashed baseball. I looked around, but couldn't find where it came from. I imagine it was high up in the trees and plunked down. I was tempted to take it home and see if I couldn't perform some kind of experiment on it to transform it into a hunk of amber... but the thought of transporting a sticky mass without incident was enough to compel me to leave it where it lay.
William took most of the pictures from our day. It was still early in the year, so there wasn't too much out. But we did find lots of acorns from oak trees, a variety of mosses and ferns, ground pines, downy yellow violets, teaberry, wild yam vine, spring beauties, turkey tails, and scarlet cups. I did manage to snap a picture of what I believe is rue anemone.
On a side note, I think I'm going to have to find or make a lightweight backpack for myself. It would make carrying around things like our field guides and bottled water easier.
I'm always awestruck when I think about all the little treasures and magical moments that surround us. Sometimes you just have to stop and look more closely to see them. For instance, I bent down to tie my shoe and saw these tiny little snail shell. I probably wouldn't have spotted it without the momentary delay. It's a lesson that I have to remind myself of often! Not just stop to smell the roses, but to take in this beautiful, complex, and enchanting world we live in!
Along one of the paths was this waterfall that trickled down over the ridge. Where the water touched the rocks, life emerged bright and brilliantly green. It was almost unreal how vivid the green was against the brown.
I'm looking forward to more walks in the future and taking a little time to enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds us.
No comments:
Post a Comment