Looking down, looking up.

Everywhere your eyes wander, nature is up to something magical.

Nature photo of the day: spring on the horizon.

flowers have a way of
grabbing your attention
with intense colors 
and subtle charm
growing in bunches
or in self-isolation
contemplating what's it all for?
perhaps it's for the bees
who notice them first
or maybe for the elementals
who enjoy their pretty petals
or conceivably for the sake of hope
of those who yearn for change
who dream of
something softer
something lighter
something brighter
in life
spring flowers are beautiful reminders that you are mightier
and infinitely more loved than you know
for the wild blossoms are as delighted to see you once again
as you are to catch sight of them

- Cheryl M.

Just yesterday Csermely and I noticed the first snowdrop growing by the garden. The day before that, the crocuses appeared. All wild, never planted, just here, there and everywhere.

Of course, they have their preferred locations, where the sun heats up the soil first. Along the fence where the grass grows shorter in summer, and along the creek just above our bathing hole.

I love how they bloom in unison every spring, from an unheard to the human ears magic spell, emerging from a year-long slumber, only to stay fewer days than a moon cycle. And so, every year I take pictures, even if they are nearly the same from one year to the next. It’s a rite of spring to notice when they are blooming, early or late, and wonder if they will survive the cold or the snow that inevitably come again? When you see them, say hello.

Looking down.

Looking up.

Rotating your neck is a great exercise to keep your wild instincts in shape. As you look down, be sure to look up and notice what else is happening in nature. How do the buds on the trees compare to the flowers on the ground? Are the hazels hazeling? That is, are they producing pollen at the same time as the crocuses? If you notice this, write it down. If you’d like to collect some hazel catkins, now would be the time to do it.

The more you notice what is going on in nature, the more you will love what happens next.

As for the nature journal prompt of the day:

What’s my favorite way to spend a spring day outdoors?

Would you be basking in the sun, getting an early start to your summer tan? Fully aware that true sunny days are rare at this time of year, especially when You have the time to be outside.

Would you sit in a park, or your backyard, and look up at the trees and the clouds with wonderment, as you notice how the branches are in harmony with one another, from species to species, from trunk to trunk?

Or would you rather be working in your garden, preparing the land for the planting that is yet to come?

Perhaps it’s a mixture of all of these and more.

If it’s spring where you are, what got you outdoors today?

With gratitude for spring flowers and warmer weather on the way,