I love finding the evidence of the other users of the conservation areas.

Needed to walk today to work off some of the holiday cheer. We went to the Mabel Reynolds and were pleasantly surprised to see a new parking lot right off of Benson Road. Although we had some snow last night the ground was quite soft and wet underneath. Saw many rob=ins and cedar waxwings in the trees on the east side.

A Merry Christmas to all.

Last night's temperature was in the low twenties which made all of the paths crunchy to walk on today. We saw ice in some areas.

Another walk in the woods today. We noticed tree damage from the winds of Thursday night at Guppy area. A light dusting of snow certainly makes it feel and look more like December. There was a hunter walking in as we left. I believe rabbit and squirrel season never close.

This picture was taken in the same spot and time of day as the one on Dec. 15th.

Gray December days. It starts getting dark about 4:00. Lots of mud on the trails and branches down from last night's rain.

Gun season for deer is done! It was nice to get out and walk in the woods again. Lots of green on the forest floor from ferns and moss.

Lovely afternoon walking through the woods. I spotted this witch hazel on the side of the O'Loughlin trail. As I was leaving a bow hunter was walking in. He said bow season started last weekend. I want all those who use the properties to know hunting is permitted and to proceed with caution.

Glorious fall colors along the Bob Sykes trail. These past few days just can't be beat!

This must be the year of the fungi! So many varieties from the abundant moisture of late. I think these are spindle coral. They are located along the trail to the Guppy Falls.

Delightful day for a walk: the bugs of summer have left and the colors are great.

The spice bushes that grow on the west facing slope above the pond on the east side of Gully Road make a pretty picture with their bright red fruit. Heard hawks circling above calling to each other but never got a good look at them.

Late summer goldenrods are blooming all over. I thought it would be easy to identify this one since the flowers clung to the stems, not a plume like flower. Not a chance, there are many like this. Next time I will bring the guide book with me.

The amount of fungi brings so much color to the forest floor and dead branches. This one was waist high.

All of the wet weather of late has created a plethora of fungi. We saw tan, red, white and these yellow fungi at Guppy Falls.

Very quiet today at Guppy. So many fungi growing on the forest floor. I saw a few giant puffballs.

This one was near a trail.

Lovely blackberries growing along the trail.

The wildflowers along the boardwalk on the Bob Sykes trail are abundant at the moment. I saw great lobelia, cardinal flower, jewel weed, golden rod, joe pye weed, purple loosestrife and this turtle head.

At the O'Loughlin property there are lots of great lobelia blooming. You can find it near the bridge and going up the hill to the left.

The rains have brought out more mosquitoes along the trail. Almost stepped on this treasure today.

Saw this amazing dragonfly along the Guppy Trail.

Whew, the deer flies were fierce today. Saw this fungus on a log close to the Bob Sykes trail.

Nice walk after dinner last night along the Guppy Trail. Just us and the deer flies. Water levels are low. Lots of Indian Pipes along the trail.

From the bridge on the O'Loughlin trail, all of the spring's rain has turned into a lush landscape.

The frogs were croaking away as we walked along the east side of the Gully Road pond. We also noticed the remains of turtle eggs on the east side of the pond. The holes looked quite fresh. This little red eft skittered across the path as we headed up the O'Loughlin trail.

Sure have seen a lot of these millipedes this year.

We walked the O'Loughlin property today and the deer flies were very fierce. Stopped awhile to watch the damsel flies jump from leaf to leaf.

A cool place for a hot day: the stream well above Guppy Falls.

Found two of these eggs near the Bob Sykes trail before the picnic table. Turkey? A duck? I'm not sure. They were comparable to extra large size chicken eggs.

The trails are muddy and wet. The greens are intense. No bugs. Little patches of sun illuminate delicate scenes.

Lots to look at on the trails yesterday. All of the water has made this spring's growth very lush. We saw many snails on skunk cabbage leaves.

Violets of Guppy

A great day for viewing the violets growing along the Guppy Farm Trail.

Wake robins right next to the Bob Sykes trail on Gully Road. Very wet up the hill still from the rain of last week.

A quick walk on the O'Loughlin trails today showed us these spring beauties.

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday I heard one lone frog calling compared today's cacophony of peepers. Yesterday I saw hepatica leaves and today there were flowers. Coltsfoot were blooming and even a snake came out to enjoy the warmth. Great day for a spring hike!

Spring is slowly unraveling the green.

We went walking at the Reynolds Nature Preserve today. Looks like a parking lot is being worked on. Right now parking is along Reynolds Road. Lots of leeks coming up in the woodlot at the northeast corner of the property. On either side of Reynolds Road we saw these huge excavations possibly made by a pileated woodpecker. Yes, that is my knee on the side of the smaller one to give some scale.

The greens of spring: moss and wild leeks.

Two steps forwards and one step back. Spring can be so unpredictable.

The first flowers of the spring are surrounded by lots of mud! If you go walking beware of the mud although it should not deter you!

Yes, the red wing blackbirds and robins are back. The migrating geese have taken up residence in various bodies of water whether in farm fields or run off from snow melt. But the truest sign of spring is the skunk cabbage ! Happy St. Pats!

This must be the Dalmatian time of year with the snow spotting the hillsides and forest floors.

Textures in the woods can be heightened by the snow.

The water was really rushing down the Guppy stream today. Lots of places of standing and moving water under the snow.