Saturday, March 12, 2011

Early March in my woods

I went for a lovely walk in my woods the other day.

While there is no snow in my yard, ice and snow persist in the shadier spots in the woods.


The moss, already green, waits patiently for the snow to melt.




While looking for very rare Boreal Felt lichen, I came across Ghost Antler lichen which is classified as a "Species of Special Concern".  Finding BFL in my woods would be a real thrill and would also ensure my woods would never be developed -- so you can see my selfish motivation for looking for it.

Ghost Antler lichen

A close examination shows the difference from the common Old Man's Beard lichen which you see quite often.

Old Man's Beard

No matter what the time of the year there's a lot to see in the woods.



Why don't you meet me here tomorrow and we'll go for a walk together.

8 comments:

  1. OK, I'm coming! Oh hang on, I've a plane to catch back to Blighty. Never mind, I am going to continue enjoying virtual walks with you Sybil. By the way, in the UK we call wild clematis seen heads Old Man's Beard! xx

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  2. Clematis seed heads look like exploding fireworks to me.

    I'll make an effort to take you for more virtual walks while you go through your countdown to sanity (For those who don't knowwww -- Lynne is moving from England to Nova Scotia next summer.

    Foggy and raining right now.

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  3. Oh, this post is lovely too... I can almost smell the damp earth..
    xo j.

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  4. Julie (aka Anonymous) -- the ground is still frozen so I couldn't smell that wonderful damp earth smell. But it won't be long.

    Sybil

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  5. Hi Sybil, these are beautiful lichens in your images; I have a real sense of the woods, their scents and colours and cold earth. Beautiful...

    Best wishes,
    Julian

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  6. Thanks Julian,

    I just love the woods. Each walk reveals something new.

    Thanks for stopping by.

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  7. Exotic indeed! I grew up in Ontario so know precisely what you mean. Whenever we get around to leaving Greece, my partner and I have always said the Maritimes, and ideally Nova Scotia, is where we'll head. We have all the documents with us and ready to fill in (Julia is English so the paperwork is biblical) but we're not quite ready to draw ourselves away from this extraordinary place just yet. But your kind offer will almost certainly come in handy some day! I think we'd enjoy living out your way...

    Cheers,
    Julian

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  8. So it's Julian and Julia -- you just couldn't plan something like that !

    A few months back I was contacted by a Blogger in England. She was born here and moved to England when she was 9. She's retiring in Summmer and will be moving to NS.

    Her check-it-out visit last month was wonderful. We met for coffee and really hit it off. She had a wonderful visit and we got together several times.

    Long story -- short, she's moving back this summer !

    The Bloging world is full of marvellous folk.

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Thanks for stopping by. I really do love to read your comments.