Thanksgiving Eve Stitch & Walk

I don't think my Prairie Schooler turkey will be ready for Thanksgiving.  But, maybe he thinks that it's just fine to miss a Thanksgiving deadline given what often happens to turkeys on that day!

We've had cold weather, but we've also had sunny blue sky weather as of late.  We're all going to eat too much tomorrow, so let's bundle up and take a walk.

The Hazel brush has set its catkins already in anticipation of spring.  I need to read up and see if anyone likes to eat the catkins.  

Besides our stalwart Sword Ferns, we have lots of Licorice Ferns (Polypodium glycyrrhiza)in the forest.  I like them as they often appear in unexpected places - like Big Leaf Maple trees. I read that the Native Americans along the west coast used the Licorce Fern as a natural sweetener. The ferns have a compound which is supposed to be 3000 times sweeter than sucrose.  The Native Americans also used the fern as a remedy for sore throats.

Look how glorious the Rose hips are even in late November.  If I wasn't worried about the cats attempting to consume them, I'd pick a bunch for a lovely late Fall bouquet.

Late November is the perfect time for an Oak Celebration! 

With the leaves having fallen, it is possible to appreciate the structure and architecture of a mature tree.

Oaks are often blanketed in what I (non-scientifically) call sheet moss. When the moss gets heavy and wet, it often falls from the tree in large 'sheets'.  Florists in this area like to use this moss in their arrangements.  

Here's a nice collage of Oregon Lung lichen (Lobaria oregana),Oak leaves, sheet moss.

This large Oak gall is the fortress home for parasitic wasp. 

And look, more signs of the Spring yet to be!  The Oaks are already budded out.

I hope you enjoyed today's walk. Now it's time to get into the kitchen and bake some cookies and brownies for those folks (me!) who don't care for pie with their Thanksgiving meal.