Tom and I started our spring nature explorations this past week. On Monday, we looked for ducks at and around C.J. Brown reservoir and on Tuesday we walked at Garbry Big Woods Sanctuary.
Tom didn't have his Canon EOS T-3i on Monday. Of course, we saw a pair of Hooded Mergansers so close I could get pictures with my little Olympus Tough.
We also saw...
mallards
a swan near the far bank
and an immature ring-billed gull beside the driver's side door.
There were the usual pairs of Canada geese and flocks of mature ring-billed gulls as well.
Tom took photos on Tuesday although he hasn't downloaded them so the following photos are mine as well.
Our mission was to find Harbinger of Spring. We found them. Because they are tiny, we had to search hard over the leafy cover to find them. They were fresh blooms which I know because one of the sites I checked on the Internet says the anthers are red when the blooms are new but change to black very soon. The black anthers give the plant its other name, Pepper and Salt.
I put the key to the van beside these blooms to give you an idea of the size.
On the blooms to the left was an early pollinator, a fly. Flies have a bad reputation because of those we find around barns and in our houses but there are lots of flies who never come near our homes. They are part of the cycle of life in nature.
Tom didn't have his Canon EOS T-3i on Monday. Of course, we saw a pair of Hooded Mergansers so close I could get pictures with my little Olympus Tough.
We also saw...
There were the usual pairs of Canada geese and flocks of mature ring-billed gulls as well.
Tom took photos on Tuesday although he hasn't downloaded them so the following photos are mine as well.
Our mission was to find Harbinger of Spring. We found them. Because they are tiny, we had to search hard over the leafy cover to find them. They were fresh blooms which I know because one of the sites I checked on the Internet says the anthers are red when the blooms are new but change to black very soon. The black anthers give the plant its other name, Pepper and Salt.
I put the key to the van beside these blooms to give you an idea of the size.
On the blooms to the left was an early pollinator, a fly. Flies have a bad reputation because of those we find around barns and in our houses but there are lots of flies who never come near our homes. They are part of the cycle of life in nature.
Happy Spring! Looks like you found it! :)
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