Wednesday, February 26, 2014

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.  


9 comments:

Melanie said...

Signs of spring!! Still seems so far off here but I love seeing your photos in the meantime. :)

Annette-California said...

Pretty new start! Such a wonderful walk today with you:) Thanks for sharing. love Annette

Margaret said...

Your place looks so spring-like. How wonderful. Wish we looked that way too.....

Ann at Beadlework. said...

It's like having a "nature walk" at school Beth, I love the way you share this through your blog.

Giovanna said...

Love the heart! Nice to see spring slowly seeping through.

Barb said...

I love your new start! Isn't it wonderful to see the early sign of Spring. Thanks for the pretty walk.

Sherry said...

Looks like Spring is around the corner! We have lots of signs too! I just love it!

Andrea said...

A wonderful walk we have had today. It looks a glorious Spring day!

Mouse said...

loved the walk today ... really needed the fresh air :) and spring is coming here too love mouse xxxx