Old and New Friends in the Maine Woods

"Massachusetts, Connecticut River, and Boston Bay, you think paltry places, and the ear loves names of foreign and classic topography. But here we are; and, if we will tarry a little, we may come to learn that here is best. See to it, only, that thyself is here;—and art and nature, hope and fate, friends, angels, and the Supreme Being, shall not be absent from the chamber where thou sittest. Epaminondas, brave and affectionate, does not seem to us to need Olympus to die upon, nor the Syrian sunshine. He lies very well where he is. The Jerseys were handsome ground enough for Washington to tread, and London streets for the feet of Milton. A great man makes his climate genial in the imagination of men, and its air the beloved element of all delicate spirits. That country is the fairest, which is inhabited by the noblest minds."

                                                                                                       ~Emerson

After seeing the glories of the woods in Pennsylvania, I'm afraid I came home feeling somewhat disenchanted with my own northern forest. There the woods were lush and green and all the trees in their full summer foliage. Here the trees were still mostly bare, which was unusually late even for us. It didn't help that we arrived home on a very wet day when the high temperature was only in the 40s! Well, I don't like feeling discontent, so I took myself in hand and went into the woods to see how the new life was progressing, and I wasn't disappointed! It really is amazing how fast things grow at this time of year, that one can see a difference after just a few days away! 

The abundant Red Trillium (Trillium erectum) had just started to bloom. 

And this was the first time I'd had a chance to view a Tamarack (Larix laricina) up close with its new growth and in flower!

Horsetails (Equisetum arvense) look lovely in the rain...

A large patch of Bluebead Lily (Clintonia borealis)...

One of my favorites, the Canadian Lily-of-the-Valley (Maianthemum canadense) should be in bloom very soon!

A couple of days ago I went for another walk, early in the morning. And yes, things had changed even more! It was a delightful morning. Sometimes I was almost on my hands and knees, admiring the beauties of the flowers up close, and trying not to miss a thing. It's wonderful how much there is to see when we are looking!
The woods are still very, very wet and rubber boots are a necessity (last year at this time I could get through in just my shoes).  I surprised a pair of Mallard ducks swimming around in this area, but couldn't get close enough for a picture. They kept on waddling further off, keeping just out of sight of the camera...

And when I accidentally splashed too noisily they finally flew up, and this was the only picture I got. Can you see him? 

Despite its name, Skunk Currant (Ribes glandulosum) is perfectly lovely in bloom! I just did some research on why it is so called, and apparently, the leaves have an unpleasant smell when crushed. 

The flowers are so beautiful!!

I found this one seemingly grafted into a rotting tree stump. It looks almost as if it had just been broken off and gotten stuck there, but there were no others nearby and it certainly seemed to be thriving! 

More red Trillium. I picked one for my herbarium and finally noticed the odor which gives it the nickname 'Stinking Benjamin'!

This one had an unusual color! 

One of the most exciting finds were some Painted Trilliums (Trillium undulatum) growing on Cypripedium Hill which is, of course, a much drier area than the rest of these woods. 

I haven't identified this yet, but I found quite a few of these almost ready to bloom. If you recognize it, please let me know!

It looked beautiful with the dewdrops dangling from its drooping leaves!

Bunchberry Dogwoods (Cornus canadensis) just coming up...

Young Coltsfoot leaves (Tussilago farfara)...

Here it was in bloom, a few days before I left for PA...taken in afternoon light, which is just about impossible! 😁

Emerging Yellow Lady's Slippers (Cypripedium parviflorum)...

Another entirely new-to-me find was this American Fly Honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)...

The flowers hang mostly under the leaves, making them very difficult to photograph without standing on your head! 😃

I'd been wondering about this plant since last Fall but could never find any matches and had nothing to go on having never seen it in bloom.

But on my last walk, I came across a tiny, ethereal flower which seemed at first to be coming from nowhere. But on brushing away some of the leaves, I found it to be arising from my mystery plant! Turns out this is Threeleaf Goldthread (Coptis trifolia), so called from the yellow threadlike roots, which were chewed by the American Indians for canker sores! 

A member of the Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) this is a very interesting flower to me. It is only about 3/8" across, and what you would think are the petals are actually sepals...

The petals are yellow, cup-shaped, and shorter than the stamens! These flowers don't last very long, so I was lucky to find them when I did.

Truly it is best to "study your home surroundings before you go to other strands"...and after too! 😊