Welcome May

White petals are falling from this Spring's early blossoms and the lawns and sidewalks are covered with scented confetti, as if festive for the May King and Queen.

On this beautiful first weekend of May I set out with friends to mark the turn of the season with a long walk in the woods. There were trilliums, may apple about to flower, and masses of trout lilies; yellow ones, such I have seen before,
and translucent white ones, which are new to me.On every walk up in these woods I hope to see the deer but once again only small wildlife showed themselves, like this bright-eyed garter snake beside the path.

"Yellow and black, you're all right Jack,
Red and yellow, a dangerous fellow"

Following fresh deer tracks in the mud we found another small field dweller. He was in a hurry and in one hop he was out of the picture frame and away.

Not pictured here are the furred black ground bees that swarmed around our ankles at a spot overlooking the ravine. They were busy making their new homes in the clay ground and, fortunately, unconcerned with our big boots.

I came home crowned not with a garland of May flowers but with a fine clump of burrs in my hair, and a camera disc full of wild flowers to paint.

"Now every field is clothed with grass, and every tree with leaves; now the woods put forth their blossoms, and the year assumes its gay attire."

- Virgil