While hiking on the French’s Ledge trail in Meridan recently, I came upon a bunch of flowers growing among the fallen leaves on the side of the path. They were delicate shades of pink, white, and lavender.  It was such a treat for me to watch them gently dancing in the breeze that I took the video that's posted below.
 
This is one of those plants I prefer to use its scientific name Hepatica Americana which sounds a lot nicer than liverwort, which sounds like a deli sandwich. Though tiny, they are very noticeable because of the spots of color in the brown and tan woods. The Hepatica is one of the first ephemerals to blossom in the Spring, even before the vernal equinox. Like ephemerals, these plants opportunistic and enjoy sunshine in the forest before the deciduous trees leaf. 
 
Wildflowers keep me healthy by rewarding my hikes with discoveries such as these flowers. What’s more, they encourage me to go back and hike it again. I saw a bunch of trillium and trout lilies there about to bloom so I have to go back.  

With new fallen snow covering the ground, temps in the 30s, and long awaited daffodils sadly drooping; today is a good day to remember the warm days to come despite winter’s last gasp.
 
Last summer I collected pictures of flowers that intrigued me. Through my macro lens, I could see tiny flowers inside the flowers. Sometimes the delicate flowers inside didn’t even look like the larger flower in which they grew. It made me wonder if inside each one of those tiny flowers, there were even tinier flowers and on and on forever.
 
Here's an idea for this coming growing season. Bring along binoculars to see sights you've never seen before.

Thank you to gardeners Janie Clark, Deborah Chambers, Maryellen DeJong, and Sharon Parker

Spring has arrived in the Upper Valley despite today's errant snowstorm. Last week I spent a delightful morning without so much as a snowflake in sight, sitting with Jim and Amelia Lantz in their backyard facing Mill Pond. For once, I just looked without a camera between me and the natural beauty. Ducks flew quacking overhead with their fast beating wings. A gorgeous cardinal sat perched above us in a tree with his red, red plumage contrasting with the blue, blue sky.  Birds sang sweet songs. We could smell the soil and see thousands of tiny red buds high up in the trees.
 
Amelia told me that this time of year, many different kinds of birds visit the pond and many stop, and, in Amelia’s words, ‘interview’ the small pond and island for its suitability to raise a family. We were delighted to see a chickadee ‘interview’ a bird house perched by the water and hope she’ll decide to make a nest there.
 
A lively discussion about how much or little people should interfere with the land began. Amelia believes in letting Nature in her wisdom take care of most things. She talked about hiking through the woods with all manner of trees lying on the forest floor in what she described as a beautiful mess. What struck me was Amelia saying that after many years of growth, an axe can end a trees life in a matter of minutes. She talked about trees supporting different types of wildlife while the trees are alive, while they are dying, and after they have died.
 
Jim is a painter who wants to tinker with the land a little to add color and is considering planting blue bells. He talks with his neighbors on Mill Pond who discuss the chemistry and turbidity of the water. Mostly they talk about aesthetics. I found the definition of aesthetics as a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste as well as the philosophy of art. The Mill Pond neighborhood is a microcosm of the larger world. Each owner treats the land in what to them is aesthetically pleasing. Each differ, yet each is lovely in its own way. As the saying first appeared in the third century BC in Greece “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
 
Spending some time in Jim and Amelia’s backyard is like going on a delightful vacation without the hassle of packing. Writing the blog has opened up many behind-the-scenes places for me to enjoy. 

Thank you Amelia and Jim for warm coffee, yummy pecan toast, and a philosophical discussion in your little piece of paradise.     

​As a new member of the Grantham Garden Club, I have been asked to introduce myself. My husband and I moved to Grantham from the Albany NY area and have lived in NH for 15 years (doesn’t time fly…).  I have recently retired from GE Aviation Engineering, amid this pandemic and although it is not the retirement envisioned, I have been happily enjoying the many recreational and educational opportunities available in our community. For many years, I have been engaged in a very technical career, and have countered all that time in front of computers by puttering around outside. Mostly planting, watering and mowing around the house, in my book, this sure beats cooking or cleaning!

After retiring in May of 2020, I looked for an opportunity to volunteer in a way that would support a deep love of nature and a belief that education is the best path to positive change.  Fortunately, I could combine these two values by volunteering at Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) in Quechee, VT.

VINS mission is to motivate individuals and communities to care for the environment through education, research, and avian wildlife rehabilitation. Their programs engage and instill in people of all backgrounds a desire to care for the wildlife and diverse natural habitats they encounter in their daily lives. It is probably not very interesting to repeat the information available at vinsweb.org  But here is a little of the behind the scenes information. Currently I am doing a job called “scraping” for the exhibit birds. This involves clearing away the leftover food from the previous day, recording what was not eaten, and a bit of cleaning. VINS has 17 display enclosures with 28 individual exhibit birds. Although many of the birds have been residents for years, they are still wild animals that require caution and respect.  If you happen see me in an enclosure, I will probably be singing or talking softly to the birds, so they can track where I am and hopefully not become startled or agitated.

Two of my favorite birds are the snow owls, partly because they are so beautiful and partly for their character. The pure white male, named LaGuardia is very shy and gentle. I love the feathers running down to his feet. He looks comical the way he lifts his feet high to run from one location to the next. The female “Snowy” is white with gray stripes, which is just a variant, similar to how some people have brown hair and some have blond. She was once an education bird and is much more comfortable around people. Snowy always moves close to the back door when she hears me coming, puffs up her feathers to look formidable and watches intently my every move. She is probably hoping for someone to bring fresh food, but I do think she enjoys a little company too.

The raven are our love birds; they were housed together just recently and seem to have truly hit it off. They have been seen preening each other and sharing food. The male will puff up the feathers on his head and make a lovely cooing sound. This week it looked like they are building a nest in one of the higher perches. The ornithologist say these are some of the most intelligent birds. They can open containers and enjoy playing with toys. Every day, in addition to meat, we hide some fruit and vegetables in their enclosure to keep them busy and stimulated. There are several wild ravens in the area which perch on top of the enclosure to visit and beg for freebies. I could have sworn we had four birds there the other day!

Of particular interest, right now are the bald eagles. They built a nest of loose sticks, and there is an egg! The larger bird is the female “Elmwood.” She is always a bit loud and cantankerous, but now she is a force to be reckoned with. On Monday, the male was sitting on the egg and Elmwood was on patrol; charging any intruder with talons outstretched, beak open, fierce eyes and loud screeching. Even with an additional person in the enclosure to try and keep her at a distance, we had to just back out without scrapping. I don’t blame them for being protective, unfortunately in a few weeks the staff will replace the real egg with a decoy. This pair would not be able to raise a young eagle and teach it to hunt or survive on its own.
​
On a happier note, one of the prime activities at VINS will be gaining steam very soon. Every spring they provide baby bird feeding services for hundreds of birds that have been separated from their parents. Additionally, there is an active wild bird rehabilitation hospital on site, and many birds of all varieties are successfully treated and released back into the wild.
​
If you are looking for a fun place to explore with children and adult guests, consider VINS which has a variety of exhibits and activities, and is open seven days a week.
I look forward to meeting many of my fellow garden club members in the future, but until then…wishing you safety and abundant growth.