For my last hike of February I went out to Cowles Bog. Most of the winter’s snow has melted in the last week or so, temps are bouncing back and forth from 30 to 60 back to 30. It is almost but not quite yet spring. But if you look close you can find the early signs.
Looking across the Marsh at the line of wooded dunes backing up the Lake Michigan shore line. The greenery is still a month or so away. My but how much this view is going to change in the coming weeks.
Right along the edge of the march the signs of the impending spring explosion are not too difficult to find.
My first thought was that this was a desiccated husk of a mushroom. But closer inspection showed that it is actually fresh and the outer surfaces are absolutely covered with spores. So literally this fella just bloomed. Poking it gently with a stick released a large cloud of spoors into the wind.
This is the other side of the March relative to the first photo in this post. In a few weeks this little depression will be packed full of Eastern Skunk Cabbage.
Speaking of Skunk Cabbage, I had to clear away the top layers of last autumn’s leaves to uncover this early riser. Looks somewhat like a whale breaching the surface of the ocean.
Another Skunk Cabbage poking up out of the remaining snow.
Looking into the shaded side of the marsh edge you can see the water is still frozen. When I looked out at this scene the first thought that entered my mind was how many bazillions of mosquitos are lying in wait to swarm me in July.
This nondescript piece of wood alongside the trail turned out to be the gem of this hike. It is the type of thing I would have once walked right past without more than a brief glance. But now that my senses have become more attuned to these sorts of things, one little spot grabbed my attention hard. In the next photo I show a closeup of the patch of green lichen in the middle of this image.
Here is what caught my eye. Notice the tubular stalks rising up from the rest of the lichen like tiny trumpets. These features are reproductive organs and I had not yet seen this particular one prior to today’s hike. This is why I keep coming to the same trails over and over, through out the year. No matter what the season, or weather conditions, I always spot something new and interesting.
The rough textures in this clump of lichens and bracket fungi contain an amazing amount of detailed little structures. It is like a whole new alien world.
This photo was taken from the middle of the marsh, looking to the east along its length. Just underneath that snow and ice the ground it teaming with life, primed and ready to spring forth… Almost but not quite yet spring, but oh so close.
That sexy lichen is so cool! In the first pic of it, one can see the wood as granite mountains with various trees and flora growing on their side. In other words, a very long view shot!