Spring has been fickle in the Adirondack Mountains. One day you could walk around in a t-shirt without shivering, while the next it was difficult to warm up in the cold wind and spitting snow. And so it goes. To live in this part of the world, you have to be hardy, and that goes for the plants and animals who make their homes in the mountains, too. Photographer Anthony Jancek has been spending as much time as he can out of doors with his camera to his eye, capturing the changing season. Join him on his journey from winter to summer… or as near as we’ve gotten so far.

Mother’s Day, 2010, Adirondack style:

A cold northerly wind ushers in wet snow, discouraging anyone planning a cook-out along the lake, and weighing down trees which are just beginning to leaf out. But the snowstorm is short-lived, and soon the bees are abuzz…

…and the birds are singing again, including this American redstart:

It’s the nesting season, and builders will fiercely defend their chosen sites, like this Northern oriole who fights off a trespasser:

Red-wing blackbirds are building nests, too. A female takes in the view from above her nest, while her mate patrols nearby:

Other birds are more social. Cedar waxwings enjoy an al fresco meal on crab apples which are softened after winter’s freeze:

Mallards fly through pond-side thickets in search of sites to raise their chicks:

It’s a good thing for these panfish in the shallows that mallards are not interested in a fish dinner…

…but they’d better beware the deptive fly cast by this angler:

The hunter might become the hunted if this leech finds the angler:

Watching with aloof reserve, a porcupine isn’t worried about much of anything:

While snowmelt seeks its level by way of lacy streams down picturesque falls deep in the woods:

A well-watered spruce and balsam forest thrives at the edge of an extensive bog:

A boardwalk keeps your feet dry and prevents trail erosion:

And before you know it, the clouds break apart, promising a bright sunset and warmer weather tomorrow:

Thanks to Tony for taking us on a hike through an Adirondack spring, where you can always be sure of one thing—changeable weather. But those who live here wouldn’t have it any other way.

 
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