The Promise of Spring

They're back!  

All of the spring wildflowers are returning.  Actually, they never really went anywhere.  Since their last blooming, the roots have been biding their time safely underground, waiting for the time to be right to send forth their tender shoots again.  
Here are two kinds:

Dutchman's Breeches (it's just fun to say!)

Spring Beauties

I've walked the trails a dozen times since the last wildflowers bloomed here, and I've thought happily of these little plants resting in their dormant state under the earth and snow.  I knew they would spring forth again.  It's like having a secret to gladden the heart, even while you walk amidst the bare trees of deepest winter.

I can't help comparing this natural phenomenon to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  He died for us, and was buried in the tomb, but rose again three days later.  He conquered death.  I am so thankful for Him!  He is the Savior of the world, and our hope in an eternal life.  Even while we walk our daily path here on the earth - in sometimes barren surroundings (barren of love, of kindness, understanding, health - you name it) - we can know that "spring" will come for us.  I know that Jesus Christ died for us, and that He lives now, that He loves us, and that He will come again in the fullness of time!  I look forward to that joyous day!

Skull Found

There is something new to see in the woods every day, and this time around it was an animal skull.

I found it on an island in the Mississippi, right at the farthest point of a loop trail I walk frequently.  

I was surprised to see it there and did all of the usual wondering - what is it?  How did it get here?  Where's the rest of it?

After examining the object, and noting it's teeth, I thought it must be an herbivore of some kind, but the long "snout" made me wonder a little.  (I'm just not used to identifying animals by their skulls.  I've never seen that many in my life!)

Here's a top view:

And here it is, in situ, as they say, with my sandal next to it for a frame of reference of its size.  Note the rather large eye sockets:

What would your guess be?

This little mystery was solved when I showed the photos to Hyperion.  "Fawn skull," he said, with little hesitation.  Does this many know everything?!!!

We've seen deer prints on the island before, and I know they can swim the LeClaire channel or the river on the other side, to get to the island.  But what caused the death of this fawn, and how did the skull get carried to this point?  I have seen the remains of rabbit kills near this same place a couple of times before, and have assumed that a large owl was responsible for that debris.  I may never know all the details of this story.

Camo Pattern

Look at this gorgeous "camo" pattern on this sycamore tree!

Muskrat Again

I saw another muskrat in the same place as last year! 

The Mississippi is flooding and the waters have reached a walkway in one of my favorite parks.  This allows the muskrats to swim very close to the path, and has serendipitously created an opportunity - two years in a row - for me to photograph muskrats!  

Last year I just saw one swimming frantically back and forth.  This year, the muskrat I saw was swimming in a more leisurely fashion.  He even took time to climb onto a log, so I was able to get a full body shot instead of just two little pointy ears with two eyes and a snout poking out of the water.

While diving under the surface he found a plant he liked and came up smiling with it.  He proceeded to eat it up as he sat on the log, and later as he wallowed in the water up to his elbows.

Watcher in the Woods

Every morning I find myself passing through a wooded area.  I've gotten used to the little landmarks there, including a downed tree with a deep hole in the trunk.  It makes a big black spot in the woods, which always draws my attention.

Today, there was something different.  Above the hole in the downed trunk there was a big white blob.  That's what it looked like to me, anyway.  I thought to myself, "Hmmm.  I don't remember that a big white blob being there before."

I asked Jason, who was with me at the time.  He has better eyes than me.  I said, "Hey, is that an animal on that log in the woods there?"  He took a cursory glance but wasn't really interested in my little mystery.  I grabbed my camera so I could use my zoom lens to get a good look.

Sure enough, it was a big cat.  Not a bobcat, just a domestic cat that might or might not be feral.  Still, in was an unexpected capture with my camera and I was pleased to have noticed it.  Here it is:

So the next time you take a walk in the woods and you get that creepy feeling that someone - or something - is watching you, you just might be right!