The last hopeless remnants of a rigid frozen state. Isolated holdouts hide deep in the woods clinging to the only thing they know. A cold hard existence.

Some will leave no trace left behind

Others, pooling together will linger in a more fluid state.

But even the iciest holdouts will soon pass to the other side.
Old Man Winter’s crystalline restraints are no match for Spring’s warm embrace.

I just had to get that out of my system even if it meant a double posting today. I liked the images and thought they might give you an idea where some of the mossy rocks in my head come from.

Old Quill Story:
Today’s hike got turned around pretty quickly. I found something I wasn’t prepared for and needed to carry it by hand. I figured it wasn’t too smart to continue tripping around in the woods and risk either breaking it in a fall or setting it down to photograph something else and forgetting it. I did what I normally don’t do. I did the sensible thing. I turned around and took the easy way home.

What Lurks under the leaves?

You’ll have to come back tomorrow to find out. I will not be releasing the identity of the previous owner of these teeth until all graphic evidence of this discovery has been processed. But I’m happy to leave you guessing with this photographic clue. It should give you something to gnaw on while you’re waiting.

Tomorrow’s post will also include reasons for proper tooth care. Viewer discretion is advised.

The first blooms of the year have finally lived up to their name. Around here Winter Aconite usually blooms in Spring. They would have bloomed even sooner but deep snow clung to the spot until just the other day when it seemed to have vanished overnight. These are 11 days ahead of last year’s flowers and the first time I’ve seen them officially bloom in Winter.

Winter Aconite – Eranthis hyemalis

Yep – just another desktop wallpaper

A small group decided to colonize a moist shady spot a couple years ago at a friend’s place. They’ve had no problem with dealing with the competition. The tall ferns, Gill-Over-the-Ground and even the quack-grass that dominates the area hasn’t stopped the Winter Aconite from spreading. Where they came from is anybody’s guess but the immigrants are vigorous and the colony is growing. I’m just a little jealous of my friend since these are such a welcome sight at this time of year. But there’s one good reason I’m not quite ready to offer Winter Aconite a refuge at my homestead.

The whole plant is poisonous. With one grand kid toddling around after another these pretty flowers really aren’t something I want to tempt them with.

Porcupine Portrait

My sugar maple buddy seems to be getting used to my presence. No scrambling to the hidy hole today. Napping in the warm sun must have mellowed him out.

WiseAcre Folklore

In the swampy woods of the north country don’t trust the old wood lore about moss growing on the north side of trees. In the woods surrounding me, moss grows completely around the trees. Either I can’t move any farther south or somebody is not always right.

Around here moss grows on the north side of dummies.

North side

South side

Dummy Deer that is.  NOT my backside.

I didn’t expect to find these in the sugar bush this early. They’re out a full month earlier than last year.

Here’s one good reason I hesitate to identify mushrooms. Last year I got it wrong when I identified these as Sarcoscypha coccinea. They looked identical to what my field guides had but the field guides were a bit lax. After doing a bit of on-line research this time I found out S. coccinea is a western species found only in the Pacific Northwest. Sarcoscypha dudleyi or Sarcoscypha austriaca are the eastern species. No way I can tell them apart though.

These are early spring mushrooms that grow on rotting hardwood. Around Canton, NY they seem to prefer wet spots and Maple.

Shame on the National Audubon Society’s Field Guide to Mushrooms (North America) for leading me astray. Simon and Schuster’s Guide to Mushrooms was no better. Even my trusted Peterson let me down. Not one of my field guides mentioned the difference between them and their range.

They all look virtually the same. To see the difference between the species you need a microscope. So really, you can’t blame me for being wrong. It’s my field guides’ fault. But if you want to rub my nose in it you’re welcome to go to last year’s Scarlet Elf Caps post and leave a comment.

Thanks to the Mushroom Expert for setting me straight.

Something else came up early this year. The wild leeks – Allium tricoccum are sprouting. I didn’t make a note last year when they sprouted but I was harvesting the on the 1st of May.

Won’t be long before I can make garden fresh stone soup with some flavor.

ARRGH! the porcupine spotted me before I had a chance to get close enough for a photo. It would have been a great shot of it climbing the tree but by the time I got there it was already in it’s hidy hole.

Guess I have to call it quits on the winter porcupine count. They’ve started to roam from their winter lodgings and I can’t be sure who’s who any longer. I made it to 7 confirmed sightings this year. This is #3 or #4, it’s hard to tell since this maple had 2 dormers in it.