For every beauty, there is an eye somewhere to see it.
For every truth, there is an ear somewhere to hear it.
For every love, there is a heart somewhere to receive it.
~ Ivan Panin
Messy woods that consist of a tangle of fallen trees are seldom considered worthwhile exploring. Yet there are wonders waiting to be revealed in the most unlikely places…
Though it’s now barely noticeable underfoot, millions of years ago, the creeping club moss shown above grew much larger. The swamps that were filled with these club moss trees during the Carboniferous period were eventually transformed into the coal that’s mined today.
Did a flicker make this hole? Standing dead trees (snags) in old growth forests offer places for wild creatures to nest. If flickers nest here this year, they’ll be looking for tasty ants, their favorite food, to feed upon in the neighborhood this summer.
Who treads the delicate stairs of this stair-step moss? Utilized in the past as a covering for dirt floors and a gap filler between the logs of log cabins, it’s now being studied for its anti-bacterial properties.
The porcupine teeth marks on this tree reveal a delicate pattern. Could we be missing a woodland delicacy by not including inner bark in our diet? It might be worthwhile trying in a survival situation.
Could this delicate creeping vine be partridge berry? Its rich red hue will turn to green later this spring when it will blend in more with the mosses surrounding it.
The forest is reflected in a woodland pool that will sustain a diversity of life before it dries later this summer. Do the faeries sit on this log at the end of day to relax and chat about the day’s adventures?
And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.
~ Roald Dahl
These photos were taken on a most enjoyable walk in the woods yesterday with my friend Sybil of Eastern Passage Passage who posted a very different version of our adventure on her blog 
You can read her post here.
I agree that there is always something to discover in nature in ALL its manisfestations. Thank you for this reminder that there’s more than “full bloom” summer lushness to relish.
47whitebuffalo, summer is quite wonderful here but early spring has its moments too
what a wonderful walk you had. I find that when I go out, camera in hand, I notice things more than at other times. It seems that the camera keeps me out of my head and out there looking. there is definitely magic in them there woods!
Eastern Passage? as in Nova Scotia?
Joss, you’re right about that camera keeping us out of our heads and simply looking more carefully at our surroundings.
Yes, Cow Bay is in Nova Scotia near Eastern Passage.
Joss, Eastern Passage as in Nova Scotia just a few km from Amy-Lynn. Since moving here “Flandrum Hill” aka Amy-Lynn, has been my nature guru, mentor and bestest chum.
Since Amy-Lynn writes a nature blog, she didn’t feel it relevant to mention how WILDLY LOST we got on our walk.
For the REAL STORY. Visit my blog.
Sybil, perhaps I should have added to the quotation at the top of the post: For every adventure, there is a storyteller somewhere to relate it
I like visiting here. I always learn something new to tuck away. Flickers certainly make tidier holes than their woodpecker cousins, and it never occurred to me to look for toothmarks–maybe because I’m short and trees are not. I’ll go look. I’m going to steer clear of tangles of deadfall, though. The dogs get their leashes hung up there and the next thing you know we’re all up to our knees in the swamp.
Gerry, I like it when you visit too
There were so many trees covered in toothmarks out in those woods, some from bottom to top. You would have had no problem seeing them.
I can understand the leash/deadfall problem. And you’d want to have those dogs on a leash in porcupine territory.
Nature does not waste…she recycles!
Right on Scott! We need to do the same.
Such a lovely place to get lost. Getting lost in Los Angeles, doesn’t, I’m afraid, have the same cache.
And you are so right about beauty…nature scatters her pearls throughout the world (with the exception of some of her embarrassments…coughcoughbugscoughcough) for us, senses outstretched, to discover. Even in the tiniest corner, there are new realms to enter.
Aubrey, there are doorways to new realms in every corner of the world. Sometimes the smallest doors lead to the most marvelous places.
The weather has been a lot warmer here this week – it won’t be long before more bugs are out. I can’t believe how many ants I’ve already seen outdoors. Hopefully they’ll stay out there.
I always appreciate your acute observation skills and the teaching your so quietly slip in. I like what Joss said about the camera keeping you out of your head. That’s exactly it. My walks in the woods away from work at lunch time are more about a mental break than the photography. Nature heals in so many ways.
Thank you Cindy. Nature can get us out of our heads like nothing else. It’s the ultimate refresher.
I’m happy to pass on an award with a recommendation to my readers to check out your site. You can see it here if you like.
Cindy, thank you again for the award
Any-Lynn,
I’m thrilled to bestow upon you a Versatile Blogger Award and have recommended to my readers that they check out your blog.
You can learn more about this award and the onerous requirements prior to its acceptance here…
http://crittersnus.blogspot.com/2011/04/id-like-to-thank-academy.html
Best wishes, Sybil
Sybil, thank you too
I love your musings about faeries, magic, and porcupine teeth on inner bark! These are the sorts of stories and thoughts that make a hike extra great.
Farmhouse stories, when my sons were young, they believed a lot of the faerie and leprechaun stories I used to tell them. My oldest told me it used to make him a little afraid of going too far into the woods alone. A good thing from a mother’s perspective
The porcupines are real enough though. Unfortunately, my dog never believed my stories and several times got a mouthful of quills.
There is so much going on in the woods that we rarely notice – thanks for helping us to explore a little of what treasures we can find. I love the quotes, too.
Barbara, those woods have more going on in them than we can possibly imagine. We just need to look a little more closely, and quietly and the wonders will be unveiled. Glad you enjoyed the quotes
You are so knowledgeable . . . how did you learn all this stuff? I look for forward to the Northern Flickers that have made a home in my yard for the past few years to return so I can observe them while I sip some pine needle tea (not eating the bark yet!).
Grace, though I’ve learned much from field guides, it’s all the time I’ve spent quietly observing in the woods that’s given me the most insights. Also, since I was a child I’ve made a lot of drawings from nature, and it’s impossible to make an accurate rendering without learning more about the subject.
Let me know how the bark tastes once you do give it a try
I love the unlikely places and this post captures them well….the secrets, wonders and gifts to be found when we pay attention. Thanks!
Julian, luckily, the unlikely places are always around us… all for the low cost of paying attention. Affordable to all.
I love your stories that you weave in between your lovely photos
I agree wholly that we see differently when bringing a camera.
Elm is said to be the sweetest, pine is quite good, but too much birch gives a bitter taste, which can be softened by adding different kinds of moss.
I was intrigued by your mentioning of eating bark, as that has been done a lot in this part of the world in former times, when the crops failed.
http://www.primusweb.no/search?name=Barkebr%C3%B8d
On this link you can see photos of some old pieces of bark bread, plus a tool that was used to collect the bark.
Since the potato arrived here from South America, there has been little need to harvest bark, thankfully. You would have to kill off a lot of trees to feed a family.
A search for bark bread produced a few recipies, so it is possible to try it out
Thanks Eldrid
I never knew the Norwegians were such bark-eaters
I had heard of Europeans eating pancakes made from sawdust in the dark days of WWII when there was a shortage of food.
Thank you for adding the link. I will check it out as the cost of flour is supposed to be rising.
Love how you showcase nature on your blog…and what a brilliant poem to use with this post. Will have to write that one down.
BTW, thanks for your recent comments on my blog.
Hi Grace, I liked that poem a lot too. It’s so true that the world opens up its wonders to those who are in ‘reception mode.’ Thanks for visiting.