March on the Mandalay Nature Trail
Wanderlust:
noun
1. a strong, innate desire to rove or travel about.
Filled with wanderlust and a big dose of early spring fever, I hopped in the Impala and headed to parts unknown. I’ve come to learn that these are often the best trips; but no matter, something of joy always finds me when I give in to that call to grab the camera and head out–destination undetermined.
Even though I’ve been to the Mandalay Trail before, I’ve not been in spring. And with spring coming earlier than normal this year, I wondered as I wandered what I might find there to catch my eye and amuse me. Those who know me best know that I am easily amused, which I think is a good thing! I hoped as I walked that I might even hear or see early migratory songbirds.
The first thing that caught my eye was the brilliant color of the wildflowers, in spite of the shade and overcast skies. Pale lavender spiderwort and bright yellow false dandelions jumped out in profuse bunches along the trail. Further along the trail, two types of fern broke free of the ground, trying their best to make a bold comeback after the one hard freeze we had in January. I don’t know the real names of either of these; although I suspect the second one might be “maidenhair” fern, the edges of which showed a little “frost bite”.
A “ball” from a sweetgum tree hangs, suspended and captured by the tendrils of the ethereal Spanish Moss.
I continued to walk slowly, looking high and low, and everywhere in between to see what visual treasures I might find to share with you. We often miss the opportunity to appreciate the small things in Nature that might only be visible for a short time. So, slow down, look around, listen and fine tune.
The sign warns that the area is under video surveillance, so I took my time looking up into the rafters and around every post to find the camera threat. Alas, I found none and wondered if the sign was just a decoy, meant to discourage would-be vandals. There were, however, big guard bumblebees that kept charging me as I approached to take a photo of the sign! Guard Bees! Kinda funny!
I wasn’t surprised to see the wild dewberry blossoms showing off already, because they have been blooming for a couple of weeks closer to my house. However, I was very pleased to see several honey bees crawling around on the dainty white flowers, gathering golden pollen to carry back home. That made me wonder whether these bees came from a nearby apiary or if perhaps the wild bees are making a comeback? One can only hope. Also note that the berry bushes in this patch already display the green berries. Berry-picking season will soon be here and time for dewberry jam and cobbler.
The Swamp Red Maple trees are seen commonly throughout the local marshes and swamps. By the end of winter, the leaves have dropped, and all that remains on the bare branches are deep magenta-colored “flying fruit”, or winged achens called samara. They twirl around like whirligigs as they spiral slowly to the ground in search of fertile soil. While the brightly-colored samara lay scattered throughout the trail, the heart shape of this pair drew my eye down to its earthy uniqueness nestled snug among a blanket of dead leaves, the signs of the passing winter.
Deep in the middle of the swamp, about halfway into the trail, this beauty called out to me. She was way off the beaten path, and I tip toed carefully over the soggy bottom in order to get close enough to take her picture. This is not the typical Louisiana Blue Flag, rather it is a Zigzag Iris, which refers to the long stem, which takes on the shape of the zigzag. It’s important to note, and I’m not sure what it indicates, but this was the ONLY iris I saw along the entire two-mile trek. I really wanted to pick her, bring her home, and put her in a vase on my desk, but I decided to let her stay to show off her stunning beauty for another nature lover!
And just as I stepped beyond the warning sign, the alarming sound of a snake slithering through the leaves
startled me. Of course, I’d been very aware of my surroundings the entire time just in case I came upon a venomous snake and was so happy up to this point that I had encountered nary a one. So, I figured my luck had run out; but once my heartbeat returned to normal and my respiration slowed down, I realized that this was nothing more than a harmless little “Guard Snake”. He was, beyond any doubt, the guard snake, because I couldn’t even “shoo” him away. As I walked the trail, he continued right alongside me, faithful to his task of keeping me from the bridge. This photo isn’t enlarged–he was not afraid of me and let me actually get this close! Alas, I grabbed a stick and nudged him into the water so that I could pass, unhindered. I wish I could say the same for the Guard Bees that confronted me at the foot of the bridge, as they took turns flying toward my face, forcing me backward. It was the strangest thing I’d ever seen as far as bumblebee behavior, but on second thought, I just think I’ll call it magical and leave it at that! I tried to snap a photo as one flew into my camera lens, but my camera focus just wasn’t fast enough. After a dozen tries, I gave up and rushed through the bees and onto the bridge to the amazing view at the end.
Before I could even reach the end, I had to state my name and my purpose to this little friend in order to convince him to move along and let me be on my merry way. Sorry, I can’t tell you his name because he didn’t bother to introduce himself before he allowed me to pass. So, we shall call him Guard Skink, maybe Liz for short, but this probably isn’t considered a lizard, either!
And there at the end of the bridge was a secluded pon, dotted by cypress and water lilies. I could hear a motorboat off in the distance, and I knew where I was in relation to certain canals, so I pulled out my iPhone, opened up Google Maps, and dropped a pin right where I was so that I could go back later and see exactly where I was in the bigger scheme of things, navigationally speaking.
Yes, I’m a Nature Love AND a Map Geek. Sticks and stones and all that . . . . .
On my way toward the trail exit, one last thing caught my eye, which I had not noticed on my first time through. . .
Until the next adventure, I remain your
BW
I got to enjoy the blooms of spring today too. 15 family members went to the zoo for the day. It was beautiful. The rain pelted us all the way there but stopped while we fed them all. Everything was all fresh and clean. The azalea bushes ranged from a few inches to several feet and probably every color they come in. There was winter cabbage, kale, swiss chard, dogwood, plum trees, iris, hibiscus and one, little, single daffodil. The smell and colors were impossible to describe.
I forgot how active young kids can be. I keep falling asleep tonight if I sit still for more than 2 or 3 min. But it was all worth it. Even having one of the 5 vehicles break down on the way home requiring a wrecker didn’t put a damper on our enjoyment.
I have the Spider Wort or some call it Widows Tears all over my yard. That is one thing you NEVER plant if you don’t want it to take over.
Ahh…perfect timing for this post as we’ve suddenly been set upon by some very wintry weather (about 6″ o’ snow, practically more than we’ve had all winter!). Just a couple days ago I took photos o’ the wee “snowdrops”
We’re getting things ship shape for our pending journey, though – and looking forward to returning to our second home!
BTW, yer “Guard Salamander” is a Guard Skink ye can tell from the lack o’ webs between the toes (or sticky toes) and the “armour” on the head.
You know what’s funny about that? I first called it a skink and then changed it to salamander! I might just go back and edit so I don’t look like a total idiot. I’m not totally up to snuff on my amphibians!!!!! Sorry about the snow! It’s a wee bit chilly now here, too, with folks hesitating to plant their spring gardens.
Going to try to post again tonight. Last night I kept getting a message that the site required Java and cookies. I have the newest version but it kept repeating that message.
So sorry you’re having trouble. Hopefully, the webmaster will see this and figure out if it’s on our end. Maybe that explains why there are very few comments?