Simply as a preface, I'd like to say that I am trying a new blog format with today's observations. (I feel so technical and modern saying that.) Normally, I do a separate blog for each site or sign, but I am going to do them all together today! I hear that many of my peers do this anyway, and I am simply late on the uptake.
The excursion we went on yesterday was simultaneously eye-opening and throat-closing.
It was beautiful. At 63 degrees, I could hardly have asked for more idyllic weather. As if I needed any more proof than how lovely it felt, Spring was obvious in almost every place we looked. Unfortunately, it was also -- very literally -- in the air.
Sign One
As soon as we exited the school, Spring was essentially in our faces in the form of a bevy of budding trees. From afar, these
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| The shading is poor, but this little bunch of buds is really a lovely rose color. |
looked like an abundance of soft red speckles adorning the slender branches. The lawn, I noticed, was remarkably well-groomed (probably thanks to some of our splendid students) and the breeze could only be described as feeling completely soft and cool. Even the sun was not overbearing; I love Spring. I find it rather funny that the only birds I could hear were not the typical, tiny songbirds of spring scenes but the rather more boisterous guffaws of crows and perhaps a seagull.
Sign Two
After meandering at different paces down to the edge of the bus barn, the class finally made it to the edge of the woods. My throat tightened in fear of all of the lovely flora, and my nose itched, but I was glad to be going into the woods on such a pretty day regardless.
It seems like only a few days ago that freezing rain could be expected at any time, and yet I was greeted with the unabashedly cheerful sight of new, peridot-colored buds opening to the sunshine.
Right alongside of this desiduous display were the ever-bright green needles of a pine tree, lingering from winter. Upon closer inspection, however, it was apparent that there were some new female pine cones budding up in preparation for polenation.
The almost nonexistant breeze here rustled the graveyard of leaves blown up against the edge of the woods and I, even in my cashmere sweater, still stood comfortably in the sun (although my upper respiratory system may not have been too comfortable).
Sign Three
Hyperventilation seemed to be my impending fate as I neared the pond at the head of the group. As we got close enough to see the sparkling water, little, decorative bunches of pollen flanked us on both sides.
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| Here is an example of the neat-looking but evil pollen in question. |
You may notice the decided absence of geese in the watery background where they had been only a couple of weeks ago, or even less. The only honking to be heard in this area now is the sad, metallic honking of school buses.
But, to counteract that melancholy fact, there was a healthy spattering of small, green buds on the trees around the pond, and we found a bizarre little growth on a sapling that we supposed was an insect nest of some sort. I took a picture, but my phone would not take in the colors well enough to differentiate between the growth and the wood itself.
Not only was the pollen more intense here, but so was the sun. Though it was still pleasantly golden, it was much brighter and a little more difficult to deal with. Thankfully, a persistant breeze counteracted the garish heat.
Sign Four
This sign was (and forgive me for being so ridiculously, laughably phobic) a little bit scary.
I was totally facinated by the delicate,
deep red spring growth that Mrs. Richardson showed us. As I stepped off of the path and followed right after her, I kneeled almost while walking just to get a closer look at the vibrant, unadorned little limbs. But, as I inspected this more closely
... I also found another sign of life:
SPIDER!
Albeit, it was a very tiny spider. And perhaps it was more scared of me than I was of it (although I doubt it). However, I was still not too keen on the idea of taking its photo, so I scurried off with even more speed than it would have if it hadn't been in the center of its own delicate web.
Shortly after this disturbing incident, Mrs. Richardson attempted to get us all to quiet down. As I stood in place, waiting for the rest of the class to follow her directions, I strained my ears to hear more than the whispering of my peers or their crunching footfalls. To my happy surprise, I soon heard the faint trickling of water, which I suspect to have been carried up to me from the small creek we have observed before. I also heard wind, but it was distant, more the voice of wind that the actual
sound.
It was warm here. and there were intermittent beams of sun, but the shade kept me and my sweater comfortable.
And as an epilogue, I might mention that there were
two other spiders spotted on the way back. Argh! Spiders and alergies are the bane of springtime. Thankfully, I am too in love with the flowers and the weather to let that ruin the season!
