Across from the "black" trail.

Have you ever wandered through a pine wooded forest?   In the heat of midsummer I head to Glacier Hills County Park as often as possible.  There at the park, which is tucked in the rolling hills of the Town of Erin and very close to the towering and very beautiful basilica of Holy Hill, you will discover many deep wooded trails.   Follow the trail directly across from the "black" trail--the "blue" trail.

Depending on where you begin this trail, you will eventually come to the tamarack forest portion of the trail, which you cannot miss, since the "blue" trail takes you right through the middle of the tamarack forest and all its dark, spooky glory.  The atmosphere with the tree’s piney canopy of soft needles creates a cool soothing and blissfully dark trail to hike, especially on a cloudy day during a heat wave.  Upon walking up to the forest line take notice of what you hear.  There is a distinct change of worlds when walking from prairie into pine forest.  I compare it to exploring an abandoned house.  Once inside, it is very dark compared to the outside and just like an abandoned house, a pine wooded forest is an entity in and of itself.  After you’ve past the threshold between the outside and inside of the forest, all sound is muted from the prairie, much like the walls  inside of an abandoned house mute whats going on outside. Being inside the labyrinth of trees directs all your senses inward.  Pay attention to your step.  What is beneath your feet?  A soft bed of needles and crumbly wet, rotting tree limbs cradle each step you take.  It is as though you are walking through an old carpeted room.  What if you step off the hiking trail and meander through the darker spaces between the trees? Notice the closeness of the trees; notice how close you are to the trees now?  Watch out for that mushroom growing from beneath the needles.  Careful of the spider web sparkling in the small ray of sunlight shining through a hole in the tree canopy.  Now you hardly hear your steps through the woods, but what else do you hear?    Do you howling, singing, maybe both, perhaps?  This is where the spookiness comes in.  In a house you are unfamiliar with, that has been left to crumble and fall, hearing a small creak behind you from some dark corner and your mind can run amuck.  Depending on what time of day you choose to visit, which I choose to visit in the early morning when there is often still fog rolling though the forest's shadowy walls, you may hear the howling wind through the tops of the very tall trees.  The howling wind through the tops of the trees cause the tops of the trees to slide against each other creating an eerie creaking and cracking, which some us find delicious to listen to.  Add the dark forest howling wind and a thick rolling fog and some may find it a bit too much to be off-trailing.  Stick to the trail if you must.

 If you have the opportunity to visit this park on a weekday instead of during the weekend, please do, since many people visit on weekends.  If you plan on going off-trailing and you are there during on a weekday, there is still one more adventure to try while in the tamarack forest.  Once you have tired of losing yourself amongst the trees, sit down, or better yet, lay down between the rows of trees and look up.  Look around you.  What are you feeling now?  The first time I tried this was on a whim since that morning had been so peaceful and being tired of wandering around, I decided to sit down and then decided to lie down.  As I lay there, meditating on the experience of the gloomy forest and all its deliciousness, my skin began to crawl as I suddenly heard something cracking through the nearby prairie wood line.  I stayed still and listened. Through the trees and out of the fog I saw ... a doe and her fawn completely unaware of me.  You thought I was going to say I saw a ghost, didn't you?  Sorry.  That’s not to say you won’t, though.  You never know!  This tamarack wood has seen a thing or two. 

Produce is in abundance!  Beets, carrots, potatoes, and many other fresh and locally grown herbs and vegetables are available at farm stores and farmer’s markets this time of year.  Among the local farm grown foods, there are also many wild edibles, either ready or almost ready for harvest.   One example of a wild edible currently available for picking are wild red/black raspberries.  Although wild raspberries are an invasive plant species, for the wild forager, it is wonderful surprise to come upon a wild raspberry patch since there are typically many berries to pick! The tiger lilies are also in full bloom.  Be quick though, the blooming season is nearly over for these beauties.  Soon you will only be able to find a fresh bloom here and there.  One summertime dessert I enjoy foraging for is the tiger bloom wild raspberry surprise.  

“Tiger Bloom Wild Raspberry Surprise”

Makes 2-4 servings

4 just picked tiger lily blooms

4 tablespoons of your favorite yogurt –very chilled.

10-12 wild raspberries

Remove stamens from the bloom and also making sure flower is free of insects. The flower’s center should be clean and hollow.  Place in fridge until ready for dessert. 

Take out washed, air-dried raspberries from the refridgirator.  Also, take the yogurt out at this time.  On a pretty dish, place a tiger lily bloom.  Tea plates work wonderfully for these delicate treats. Dab a tablespoon full of your yogurt of choice into the center of the bloom. Place a wild raspberry in the center of the yogurt inside the bloom.  Lay flower gently onto plate.  Arrange a few more raspberries on the plate. Repeat with remainder of ingrediantes.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy!

*Plan on picking the tiger blooms very close to dinnertime to keep the blooms from wilting too much, or cut flower with a few inches of stem still attached and place in a cup of water in fridge.

**As for picking any type of wild edible, first make sure you have identified the plant properly.  Also, the plant edible should never be gathered from a roadside or other polluted area. (You are what you eat.) Check the plant for insect infestation or any other parasitic destruction or withered-looking leaves or stems.  Choose a very healthy, vital green plant instead.

Goldfinches have started mating now.  The cicada insects are out and singing the song of summer.  We are still in very need of rain.  The grass in this the southeastern area of the state has gone dormant due to lack of rain.  The Kettle Moraine area seems greener, however.  On my many bike trips around the Ozaukee County area, I have noticed some crop fields are doing well, others, are too dry and look in bad shape.  I am still hoping for rain.

Nature's summertime vegetable, the milkweed, is in bloom and some are currently growing their young seed pods.  In a about two weeks, pods will be ready for harvest.  There are many misconceptions of the milkweed, one example is that the plant is poisonous to humans.  I collect the young pods no more than 1.5 inches in length from the common milkweed plant this time of year.  I like to add a handful or so of the pods to stir-fry and collect a few handfuls, clean and freeze to use in the coming months. 

Staghorn sumac's fruit is almost ready to harvest.  A heavy rain is needed for all green and wild things.

June is the month when nature is cookin'!  This morning while enjoying a cup of tea on the back step, I also enjoyed watching the young robins wait around for the mother bird to come back with some breakfast.  Mother bird steadily brought back mouthfuls for the young birds to eat, but it seemed never too be enough.   But after about ten minutes, the young robins quieted down and fluttered around by the bushes near the building where I sat.  Mother bird had a fierce moment as she flew off one young bird right around the bush next to me, then down around through my crossed, propped up legs.  My tea was waking me up nicely, but once those two birds flew beneath my legs, I no longer needed more tea, since those birds gave me the a good morning start I was searching for while drinking the tea.

We are in desperate need of rain.  The grass here in the area is brown and uncomfortable to step on with bare feet.  All the green and growing things seem thirsty.  The Milwaukee River from Saukville to Cedarburg is at least twelve inches less than is was just a couple of weeks ago.  The area farmer's young crops are hanging in there through this dry spell. The rain is on it's way, though.

Crickets have begun their summer song.  Earlier this past week temperatures hit the low 90s, which helped the locust start their song as well.  By July, my personal insect favorite, the cicada, will begin to emerge from their earthen beds among the tree roots.  The woods and prairies are still fairly quiet for now until those loud cicada start singing their siren song.

Bullfrog tadpoles left the pond water on legs this week and lily pad flowers are blooming.  Cattails are also up.  While visiting an area pond, I could see perfectly just why this water plant is called cattail.  The edible green cob forms directly below the "cattail", a fuzzy, flower at the very top of the cattail stalk.  As I took in this beautiful, swaying-in-the-wind view of the cattails at the edge of the pond, the curled, cattail-like flower, looked to me like all these happy cats with their tails standing straight up with just a little curled tip of tails coming toward me through the stalks. It was a delightful moment.

Wild angelica is up and already flowering.  Milkweed, too, with pods coming soon.  Trout have moved to cooler currents in Lake Michigan.  

Podophyllum peltatum or common name "mayapple"

Young mayapple plant

Mayapple also know as Adam's Apple, American mandrake, umbrella plant, etc.

This morning I enjoyed a sunny hike along the trails at Harrington Beach State Park.  The temperature near Lake Michigan was about 53 degrees.  The week prior was rainy and windy, so I made sure to get out today and explore and see what all the rain had brought about in the woods.   It was a sheer pleasure to begin my hike with the spotting of  mayapple plants sprouting and growing in abundance in the sunny, moist undercover of cedar and birch trees.  From the time I was a little child, the sighting of the first mayapples of the year was always an enchanted one.  To this day,  I still imagine plant faery folk lounging beneath the umbrella-shape plants.

The mayapple was not the only delightful sight I discovered today.   I can't help but feel that I was not the only creature feeling cooped up this past week due to the very cold winds and rain.  It seemed like all plants and animals were getting out to enjoy the heat of the sun and fresh air.  During my hike I discovered a chipmunk sitting just outside of his underground hole.  Robins were out, picking in the grassy areas for worms and insects.  Two male cardinals must have been showing off for a female, though I didn't see her anywhere.  The two very bright red males were flying back and forth in the trees causing a big scene near Quarry Lake.  

Many edible plants are up.  One such plant is the dandelion.  The dandelion is a much disliked weed by many, but the nutritional value of this herb packs a tremendous healing and fulfilling punch!  The dandelion can be found just about anywhere and has iron, vitamins A and  E, calcium and potassium among several others nutrients.  Every part of the plant is edible.  I like to collect the yellow flowers and greens of the plant and add them to fresh salads.  The root of the plant makes an excellent noncaffeinated substitute for coffee.  When roasted and brewed like a tea infusion,  the dark roasted dandelion root tea with fresh creme and honey is more delicious than any coffee I've tasted!  The flowers of the dandelion can be collected and used to brew dandelion wine, as well.  When used externally, the juice of the flower and greens are excellent for clearing up acne.  Garlic mustard and wild watercress are also up.

It's Earth Day weekend.  There are so many wonderful events and benefits happening this weekend in honor of our planet Earth, but if you can't make out to one of these events, a simple neighborhood walk outdoors, taking the kids to a park, riding bikes, or  having a barbecue will get you out and enjoying the fresh air and Mother Earth if you're not really the outdoorsy type.  Happy Earth Day, everybody!

We had our first big thunderstorm in the early a.m. today.  I had gotten used to the unseasonably warm weather we've been having here in the Upper Midwest and had planned on visiting the farm I frequent in the warmer months this morning. The milk shortage during the winter months is officially over, so the girls on the farm are in full milk production now.  Their calves began being born on All Snakes Day this year.  All are born as of today, March 30, 2012.   I will plan on getting a head count and meeting the cows and their calves on a warmer day, since the weather this morning was very cold and rainy.  High today is 38 degrees.

After bundling up in several layers, I headed outdoors to discover something new.  My first discovery in the gloomy morning chill, was this old cornfield (pictured above).  I stopped and took in the dark sky of the morning and watched the clouds move NE across the sky.  I noticed the pools of rain collected in the field and felt relieved to know we're finally having March-like weather, rain and all.

Yonder down the road, Covered Bridge Park was also fairly flooded (as seen in above photo and top of page photo).   I don't think it was typical for a human to be wandering around at the park in the early morning rain, since I startled up several Canadian geese and a pair of Sandhill cranes only a few yards away from me. They merely flew up a few feet and moved a few more yards away before settling on the bank of the Cedar Creek again.  Although I was bundled up, I felt frozen to the bone after about ten minutes.  A pair of crows across a flooded area from me, flew up and over the top of my head and into a large oak tree behind me.  I took it as my queue to get back into some warmth.

After finding a warm drink in Cedarburg, I headed to Lime Kiln Park in Grafton, WI.  The above photo is part of the Milwaukee River East-West Watershed, which is part of the Milwaukee River Basin.  I followed the river SW to softer current.

Last week the DNR reported the sturgeon in Wolf River had started to spawn due to the warm weather.  Currently, there are several area sturgeon reintroduction projects in the SE part of Wisconsin.  It's one of my hopes to see a healthy population of this incredibly beautiful and awe-inspiring fish.

My hot drink was long gone, and I was fully frozen from the morning's discovery adventure.  I decided it was time to get back to the mundane world of work and chores.  But before completely out of the park I discovered this fella who looked like he was on his own discovery adventure.

It was lovely to end this morning's gloomy adventure with the sighting of this crow.  This morning's discoveries spoke patience and waiting to me.  Soon the flooded fields will slowly drink up all the standing water, but for now it is a slow drip-by-drip process.  The green world slowly begins to uncoil from the earth, branch, or stone from which it grows from.  The birth of land, air, and water animals grow in strength and wait for the shelter and source of food the leaves of trees and plants provide.
 So we wait, in patience, on this cusp of lush vital green explosion.

She uncoils and begins to twist

Earlier this week was the vernal equinox.  The equinox is the time of year when the date is of equal day and night.  There are two equinoxes per year. The date of the spring equinox varies from year to year, falling between March 20-22 each year. For those of us located here in the higher latitudes, this date typically occurs before the March equinox and daytime will continue to be longer than nighttime until the September equinox.  This year's date fell on March 20th.

The vernal equinox is also known as the spring equinox.  Ostara is another name for this date.  In Wiccan faith, Ostara is observed.  This is a joyous celebration and is the marking of longer days and shorter nights.  Life awakens from hibernation.  Life begins to spring forth from the thawing earth and young animals begin to emerge.  The egg is a typical symbol used during Ostara celebrations.  Decorating eggs is an ancient custom in many traditions and predates the Christian Easter egg.  The Ostara egg represents fertility, bringing the new, and can be made into magical talismans to hang or place in one's home to bring whatever the resident(s) hope to cultivate in their lives in the coming months.  The rabbit is another symbol of  Ostara,  being a very fertile and very active reproducing creature.  In many Irish homes,  snakes are often brought into Ostara decorations, too.  St. Patrick's Day (also sometimes referred to as "All Snakes Day") lands a few days before the equinox.  The legend of St. Patrick, in short form is, he drove all snakes out of Ireland.  In this legend, the snakes are a metaphor for the conversion of the Pagan Irish to the Roman-Catholic church.  Celebrating Ostara and All Snakes Day, in our home, is the celebration of our Pagan Irish heritage as the earth begins to uncoil, much like a hibernating snake, from the frozen earth and begins to emerge at  spring equinox.

This blog has been a long time coming.  For years I have read and reread my grandmother's and great grandmother's works and have come to the realization I am following in their footsteps through journaling and photo taking of nature.

My love of nature, our earth, and the universe in which we spin, comes from the deep marrow of my bones, the essence of my spirit, and blood that has been past down to me from my ancestors.  Most often while wondering yonder down a forest path, a memory; not my memory, but an instinctual, ancestral memory comes to me.  With this blog I hope to collect, refer to, and discover unspoken parts of nature with gratitude for any wisdom that may be shared with me.  

And so my yonderings begin.