Only three months ago I was shooting photos of ice and snow along The River. The landscape was monochrome, but not dull and uninteresting. Two months ago the snow was melting and the landscape was monochrome again, but instead of hues of white and gray, the predominant color was brown as last autumn’s fallen leaves were exposed. The landscape is now a vibrant green, and it was especially verdant this weekend as I hiked through the woods and alongside The River. Come on along to see what I mean…

 

 
Ferns have unfurled along the approach road, and dandelions splash yellow across the verge.

 

 
Along the trail above The River leaves have emerged on most trees, glowing brightly even under overcast skies.

 

 
The trail passed under an arch of maple and beech saplings, and my passage is announced by chipmunks and red squirrels.

 

 
Wildflowers are blossoming, and some are past their prime already, but not the false solomon’s seals in the photo above. The bright green compound leaves of mountain ash are just popping out though insects are already dining on them:

 

 
Small pink blooms on the shrub below might be wild azalea, but I’m not sure:

 

 
There’s no doubt what these are:

 

 
Dandelions are familiar, but no less beautiful for all that. Ferns are common, too:

 

 
Small fists reach to the light above in the deep woods. Soon they’ll look like this:

 

 
A bit of dandelion fluff clings to the tips of some of the fronds. Ferns are such elegant plants, and among the most ancient:

 

 
Dandelions lend more yellow color to the green expanse of touch-me-not leaves:

 

 
By August, the hillside above will be lush in the orange blooms of “jewelweed,” one of my favorite wildflowers. Down the trail a bit more, the puddles reflect the green canopy:

 

 
And The River reflects more green:

 

 
And before leaving The River entirely, a lone fern waves in the breeze as it clings precariously to the rock above a falls:

 

 
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