On Monday, Feb 4, I took a ride down to The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain with a couple of my grandsons – Chase and Jeff. To a great extent this was to get them out from in front of their computers/video games, but also, since we’ve had such a warm winter, to check to see if there were any early signs of spring. We walked the boardwalk and all the way up to and above the falls. We had a good time, and even though I was expecting some indication that spring is around the corner, I was surprised…
As we drove in and I saw the “Fee Area” sign, I remembered that my Georgia Outdoor Recreation Pass had expired last week; I need to get that renewed. At the boardwalk, there were a lot leaves showing up – Cutleaf Toothwort, and Trailing Trillium with their flower buds starting were common. Pretty quickly came a bit of a surprise – Hepatica blooming. These were common, although most weren’t entirely open, many were.
Further back the boardwalk the flower I was expecting – the aptly named Harbinger of Spring – started showing up, along with an occasional Chickweed,.
Just before we reached the falls, I spotted some red color nestled in the leaves:
We went on up to the falls and played around, the boys exploring extensively. What a great way to spend a late winter afternoon.
What a lovely way to spend an afternoon indeed! We aren’t quiet that far along with our flowering friends yet, here in central Illinois. But our groundhog Gertie didn’t see her shadow, so these early friends should be peaking out soon. 🙂