Wednesday, September 12, 2012

What We Found in the Grass

 
I'm at my daughter Pippin's home in the Northern California forest, getting ready for the arrival of Baby. While we're waiting we've been taking lots of walks, including some similar to what I enjoyed three years ago when I reported in Meadow and Trees.

When I am walking with Pippin it often happens that she scoops something from the trail and drops it into my hand. A baby pine cone from a Ponderosa, or a feather that has fallen from a red-shafted flicker.

She will stop suddenly in the middle of the meadow because she spies a praying mantis in the grass. By comparison with her, I am blind. But once she takes a picture of something, I know that I want to take its picture too.

I snapped photos of bear scat and raccoon tracks, wild rose hips and an unknown feathery plant that grows in swaths, especially near the edge of the forest. I soaked up the scents of pine and grasses that were rising in the summer heat.

after the bear feasted on manzanita berries....

feathery plant

Pippin and I helped each other provide shade if needed in order to get better lighting on the little purple thistles that were in full sun under a blue September sky.

We kneeled down to do a serious photo shoot of the mantis and I attempted a movie to catch him moving his small head this way and that.
(Pippin Photo)

a non-stubby thistle


There are places where the dried-up meadow is sparse with stubby weeds and tiny stickers that get into my socks. I try to ignore the prickles because it's no fun stopping for them every few minutes.

Our swish-swish through the grass is accompanied by the gentle clicks of sprays of tiny grasshoppers jumping every which way out of our way. Some of them crash against my chest.
After a while we get to a wetter area where the water sits longer in the spring. Now in late summer some of the swampy areas have dried up, and the algae has become a papery brown layer that stays at its previous level when it was a blanket floating on mountain runoff.



Blades of green marshy grass stick up through it like toothpicks holding it well above the current ground level, and lots more pale dead grass lies flattened  where the snow has weighed it down through many winters. As we tromped along, our boots breaking through the paper made a noise such as you might hear when marching through large cornflakes. Tiny frogs hopped out of our path and escaped being crunched.

pennyroyal
 
An apparently man-made channel runs on one side of the meadow and keeps the creek water from spreading out and making the entire area into a marsh. A solitary duck paddled fast into the reeds when we came near, where pennyroyal grew on the banks and long runners of wild raspberry snaked along the ground.

In addition to my camera loaded with pictures (even slanty ones like that below) I brought home the tiny cones, the feather, my weary feet and a warm peacefulness.

13 comments:

M.K. said...

Lovely, GJ! All of this says, "peacefulness" to me :) What a beautiful meadow.

Pom Pom said...

Such beauty! I am inspired by that Praying Mantis. She's so green!

Jeannette said...

Thank you both for the lovely walk...

Martha said...

What gorgeous photos...I ♥ when I find a praying mantis in our backyard! Here are some that I've taken photos of: http://thescrumptiouslife.blogspot.com/search?q=mantis

Leslie said...

That was a lovely walk filled with lots of interesting and diverse things. This is a part of the country I have never been to so it has a very foreign feel to it, like no place I've ever been. Blessings on the arrival of the new baby!

Gumbo Lily said...

I love going on walks with you! Wishing you all "happy delivery."

Jody

Farm Girl said...

What a lovely walk and the pictures are lovely. Thank you for sharing as you wait for Baby. :) I loved that.

GretchenJoanna said...

Martha, I loved looking at all your mantis photos!

Jo said...

A watched pot never boils! Such a good idea to take lovely quiet walks together while you can. What an amazing landscape. With mountains. It's like a Lord of the Rings landscape. Very heroic! Happy baby wishes for all of you.

Thistle Cove Farm said...

such a lovely walk and the photos are beautiful! the praying mantis have come out in full force around here; love watching them.
sure you know penny royal is good as a preventive for fleas, ticks, etc.

Sarah said...

Lovely post! You and Pippin have taught me about slowing down and enjoying those little beauties that surround us and are easily missed!

Left-Handed Housewife said...

I love that Praying Mantis! They're my favorite bugs (along with crickets). I see a lot of animal scat on my walks--I think it probably mostly belongs to raccoons, though we have foxes around here, too. I find the scat of wild animals interesting; dog poop less so.

Happy Baby!

xofrances

Cathy said...

A true nature study walk...a good heritage to pass on to future generations.

I love how you are able to be there for the arrival of the new baby..."while we are waiting"