I "Heart" Wednesday Walks

I've made a nice start on "Follow Your Heart".

I know the weather continues to be miserable in much of the country, but we've had a few lovely, sunny days.  

Let's take a walk!

Just look at the blue sky!

It's warm enough to walk without even a light jacket or sweater.

But wait!  We aren't the only ones out taking a stroll today.

Can you see the doe peering at us through the brush?

Click to enlarge if you need to.  She's in the center of the photo. Her eye shows clearly as a large black dot. 

In the Pacific NW, the earliest harbingers of Spring are now visible.

The Indian Plum or Osoberry (Oemleria cerasiformis) will be the first native shrub to bloom in the Spring.   

Also up and raring to go are the native Camas (Camassia quamash) and the Cow's Parsnip (Heracleum maximum).

The wild cherries are all budded up too.

The Big Creek while still full, is not the torrent it was late last week. 

The male catkins on the Hazel brush are ready and waiting for the female flowers to appear. 

We have a couple of pussy willows on the property.

This one is down near the Big Creek.

The native Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) is pretty this time of year.

I've been watching the 'construction' near the base of this Douglas Fir for about a year now.  I could not figure out who was responsible.  But I've since read that Pileated Woodpeckers often work at the base of trees.  It seems counter-intuitive to have such a large bird working at ground level.  But I suppose it not that different from the Flickers, who also spent large amounts of time on the ground.  

We'll end our walk today awash in green and sunlight.

I'm not sure of the identity of the this plant. A Trillium perhaps? 

I'll keep an eye on it and let you know when I've figured it out.