The Time of the May Flower is Here

It is Spring in the forests of my childhood.  The delicate purple May Flower carpets the forest floor, along with the yellow violets we call Johnny Jump Ups.  I look forward to their arrival every year. 

There has been so much rain of late, thick moss covers the trees with green and the licorice fern thrives.  I love walking through these woodlands, where the creek runs swiftly through the canyon.  Remembering the days of my childhood--I believe I was blessed to have grown up roaming with such freedom in a place of so much beauty.

Going on a Heart Hunt -Guest Heart Thursday

My six-year old niece and I went on a heart hunt last week.  She was so excited to point out this one.  "For Auntie Honey," she exclaimed, dancing in her pink sparkly shoes.  This is what we call a tulip tree.  It is really a magnolia--but I like tulip tree better.  There's something fanciful about that name.

This is a May flower.  We found them down by the creek where the Johnny Jump Ups grow.  As you can see, in the folded budding of the flower--there's a heart.

Here you see the best find of all.  She was SO happy over this heart on a shell.  Our little niece was excited she'd found so many hearts for her dear Auntie Honey.

Happy heart hunting! 

For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.
 

Sitting on a Mayflower

I always look forward to walking in the woods with my sweet Sis. Friday we found May Flowers, Johnny Jump Ups and Trilliums carpeting the ground. There was magic in the forest that day . . . and more spring flowers than either of us remember seeing before.
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The picture above is the first really good picture I've ever been able to take of a May Flower. They are VERY illusive.

One of the breathtaking moments of our walk included this little moth sitting atop a purple May Flower.

And there was a baby Trillium peeking out from beneath her Mama.

One couldn't miss the Skunk Cabbage we found growing down by the Crick. When their leaves are submerged in water they turn silvery. They are beautiful to look at, but there's a reason they're called "skunk" cabbage!!!

Above you see a Johnny Jump up. I didn't realize until later there was a cute little bug perusing his world from a bright petal.

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It isn't spring for me until I've seen one of these sunny yellow wood violets. This year has been a banner year for violets. I've seen pink, white, purple and now bright yellow!

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It was hard to leave the forest that day. Neither of us wanted to go back home . . .

So when the hustle and bustle of just living gets me down--I'll just slip back into the magical forests of our childhood, walking among the flowers and fern with my Sweet Sis.