Arethusa Falls swollen with late spring rains. Late spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Arethusa Falls swollen with late spring rains. Late spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

The ledge at the top of Arethusa Falls is partly awash, but not too bad. I could still stand there for an hour or so, but I didn't sit down. Late spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Notice the cracks in the ledge. You can see that the three boulders on top - which were part of the solid ledge just twenty years ago - are being nudged closer to the edge with every spring flood. One of these years, I'll have to find a new place to sit. Late spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Blue flag (Iris versicolor). This is the same species as the irises you may have in your garden, but this is the wild ancestral form. There are several stands of "feral" irises in Mine Falls Park, but also quite a few of the true wild ones. Actually, they seem a bit more numerous this year than last. Late spring, Mine Falls Park

See the size difference between the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) at lower left and the green frog (Rana clamitans melanota) at upper right. Other than their voices, sizes, and a few subtle features, these two species are nearly identical. (The bullfrog is a male, as indicated by his large eardrum, and the green frog is a female, with an eardrum smaller than its eye.) Spring, Mine Falls Park

A beaver (Castor canadensis) swimming in the Mill Pond. He was still suspicious of me, and sort of sneaked along the edge of the ice a little way east of me. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

Hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus). The drab female (left) has a hood just like the males, but hers is dull reddish-brown like the rest of her plumage, while the males have bright white hoods with sharp black trim. Their "hoods" look like wide structures when seen from the side, but when seen from front or back, they are actually quite narrow. They're just crests and not "hoods." Early spring, Mine Falls Park

Hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus). These ducks are not resident on the Mill Pond, but they pass through each spring as they migrate from their winter feeding grounds along the ocean back to their breeding sites along more isolated wooded ponds. This small flock of half a dozen or so stayed for nearly a week this year, and I thought they might stay for the season. The males were aggressively displaying to one another (only one is allowed to raise his hood fully, and the one at right is clearly submissive), and braying their territorial/mating calls. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

Hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) takikng off. I was afraid this would be the last I saw of them, but they were just heading for the main body of the pond farther east. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

Hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus). Early spring, Mine Falls Park

Hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) displaying their ranks. The male in the lead is the boss, with his hood fully raised. The next one is the low male on the totem pole, with his hood nearly fully retracted. The male at the rear is the chief lackey, with his hood halfway raised. The female can raise or lower her hood all she wants without fear of starting a fight. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

A mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) searches for something to eat on the partially thawed Mill Pond. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

A mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) takes a stroll on the ice on the partially thawed Mill Pond. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

In early May, Arethusa Falls still has a bit of ice on its shaded southern side. Spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park

A tiny trickle of an unnamed brook forms a pretty little waterfall as the snowbound forest thaws out. Spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park

A good-sized brook with no name that I am aware of flows through the thawing forest. Spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park

A good-sized brook with no name that I am aware of flows through the thawing forest. Spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park

Arethusa Falls in spring flood. Spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park

Arethusa Falls in spring flood. Spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park

Arethusa Falls in spring flood. "My" ledge, the uppermost boulder on the right, is awash today. Spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park

An eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) sits in a white birch (Betula papyrifera) on the lookout for insects. Spring, Mine Falls Park

A grove of pitch pine (Pinus rigida) across the narrow bay of the Mill Pond from my favorite sitting rock. The Mill Pond is free of ice, but the hardwood trees are still leafless and the ground cover is still brown. Early spring, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 143 Times.

White pines (Pinus strobus) stand like green towers over the shore of the Mill Pond, while the hardwoods put on the first blush of spring buds. Spring, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 114 Times.

Duckweed (Lemna minor) emerges from winter dormancy before the snow has melted completely. It is one of the first green things to appear in spring. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

A mayfly makes its final moult, transforming from aquatic larva to winged adult, at the surface of the pond. With no solid object to support it, it can only use the surface tension of the water to stand on as it pulls itself out of its old skin. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

Having shed its last larval skin but not yet able to fly, the mayfly uses its wings to motor along the surface of the Mill Pond and find a safe twig to climb out of the water before a fish is attracted by its struggles. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

The silver maple (Acer saccharinum) turns white, showing the underside of its leaves, right before a thunderstorm. This is not some mystical power of the silver maple, but a consequence of its normal growth. Its leaves are angled to be stable in the prevailing winds, but an unusual wind, such as the gusts preceding a thunderstorm, makes the leaves flutter or turn over completely, revealing their silvery undersides. Spring, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 300 Times.

Round clusters of white eggs, which I think are probably those of a mole salamader (genus Ambystoma), likley the eastern tiger salamander (A. tigrinum). Spring, Beaver Brook Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH Downloaded 229 Times.

Green frog (Rana clamitans melanota). Spring, Beaver Brook Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH Downloaded 141 Times.

This dripping wet monolith offers cool shade and dampness on a hot summer afternoon as you descend Frankenstein Cliff. Spring, Crawford Notch State Park Downloaded 3,304 Times.

Water spider (family Cybaeidae), mid-spring, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 112 Times.

Question mark butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis), early spring, Crawford Notch Downloaded 115 Times.

Painted turtles (Chrysemys picta picta) basking on a log, mid-spring, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 235 Times.

A fledgling grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) with his punk-like topknot of down waits quietly in a bush for his parents to bring him something to eat. Early summer, Mine Falls Park.

A patch of partridge berry (Mitchella repens) in bloom. Early summer, Mine Falls Park.

Closer view of the fuzzy blossoms of partridge berry (Mitchella repens), wet with rain. Early summer, Mine Falls Park.

Mouse-ear hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella). Early summer, Mine Falls Park.

Closer view of the flower of mouse-ear hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella). Early summer, Mine Falls Park.

A wild garden of pink ladys slipper orchids (Cypripedium acaule) (the white ones are variant individuals, but the same species), painted trillium (Trillium undulatum) past blooming (the tall plant with three slightly rippled leaves, at right), and numerous Indian cucumber root (Medeola virginiana). Only two of the Indian cucumber root are blooming. They are the tall, "double-decker" plants on either side of the trillium. Their bare stems rise nearly a foot above the ground before sprouting a whorl of five to ten leaves, then more bare stem for nearly another foot, and a whorl of three or four leaves. Three or four flowers hang below this upper whorl of leaves. Once you recognize the shape of the plant, you can easily see that there are a great many immature plants of the same species, each having only the first whorl of leaves. These plants will not bloom this year, but will store their energy in their roots to bloom next year, or the year after. Late spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Pink ladys slipper orchid (Cypripedium acaule), actually white, but that's what the species is called, dripping from the overnight rain. More than half of the "pink" ladys slippers along the Arethusa Falls Trail are white, and the pink ones are generally much paler than those seen elsewhere. Don't know why. Late spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Unidentified white violet (Viola sp.). These are growing above Arethusa Falls in Bemis Brook. Many, perhaps most of the white violets in Bemis Brook are like this one: Very, very small flowers, less than a quarter of an inch across, hanging below the plant on very, very long stems, as much as six or eight inches long. I really don't think this is a variant form of northern white violet (V. pallens), but they do live in similar habitat (right in the streambed in a very wet place, but not quite in the stream as an aquatic plant). I really think it's a different species, but can't find a reference that describes it. Late spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Northern white violet (Viola pallens). This plant, also above Arethusa Falls, is typical of its species, having flowers about half to three quarters of an inch wide on short stems standing just above the leaves. Late spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Another of those unidentified white violets (Viola sp.) with tiny, pendant flowers growing in a crack in the pink granite between Bemis Falls and Fawn Pool. This is the plant pictured below, with a droplet of water enclosing the flower. It's the next green thing to the right of the clump of grass, halfway from the grass to the lateral crack in the rock. See how tiny it is! Late spring, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

This specimen of unidentified white violet (Viola sp.) has one of its tiny flowers completely enclosed in a droplet of water. Late spring, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

A robin (Turdus migratorius) pauses on a branch of a pitch pine (Pinus rigida) on his way back to his nest with some tidbit in his bill. Don't know what that bright red thing is. Late spring, my back yard, Nashua, NH

A house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) perches on a branch of a pitch pine (Pinus rigida). I don't see many of them here in New Hampshire. Out in the forests, especially up in the White Mountains, I often see (and more often hear) their close relative, the purple finch (C. purpureus) . Late spring, my back yard, Nashua, NH

A robin (Turdus migratorius) cocks his head to listen for worms on the shore of the Mill Pond. Late spring, Mine Falls Park

A common bluetail damselfly (Ischnura heterosticta) rests on a blade of grass. Notice the large bulge at the base of the wings, which is where the huge wing muscles are. Notice that the damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) hold their wings back over their bodies when resting, unlike the dragonflies (suborder Epiprocta), which hold their wings out in more or less the same position as when flying. Late spring, Mine Falls Park

A dragonfly (suborder Epiprocta) hovers over the Mill Pond while guarding his territory from intruders. Late spring, Mine Falls Park

The flower cluster of a maple-leafed viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium). Notice that the individual flowers are very similar to those of the hobblebush (Viburnum alnifolium) but with longer stamens. All the flowers in the cluster are the same size, while the hobblebush has much larger flowers around the edges of the cluster. The cluster is also much more open than the densely packed cluster of the hobblebush. There is a tiny beetle (order Coleoptera), perhaps one of the pollinators of this plant, climbing near the center of the cluster. Late spring, Mine Falls Park

Maple-leafed viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), showing the flower cluster and the vaguely maple-like leaves. Late spring, Mine Falls Park

Blue flag (Iris versicolor). This unusual flower is almost orchid-like in the traps and mazes it makes its pollinating insects go through. Late spring, Mine Falls Park

Blue flag (Iris versicolor). This is the same species as the irises you may have in your garden, but this is the wild ancestral form. There are several stands of "feral" irises in Mine Falls Park, but also quite a few of the true wild ones. Actually, they seem a bit more numerous this year than last. Late spring, Mine Falls Park

Great laurel (Rhododendron maximum) in bloom. Notice how each stamen fits into a "pocket" in its adjacent petal. Later, as the cluster approaches full bloom, the stamens will pop out of these pockets. Late spring, Mine Falls Park

A dragonfly (suborder Epiprocta) hovers over the Mill Pond while guarding his territory from intruders. Spring, Mine Falls Park

A white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) sings about "Poor Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody!" from the dead crown of a red spruce (Picea rubens) right at timberline. Spring, White Cross Trail, Mount Monadnock

A white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) sings about "Poor Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody!" from the dead crown of a red spruce (Picea rubens) right at timberline. Spring, White Cross Trail, Mount Monadnock

A white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) throws back his head to sing his surprisingly loud territorial song. Looking at his wide-open mouth and proud bearing, I can hear him now! This is one of my new favorite pictures. Spring, White Cross Trail, Mount Monadnock

A white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) sings about "Poor Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody!" from the dead crown of a red spruce (Picea rubens) right at timberline. Spring, White Cross Trail, Mount Monadnock

A white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) takes a bow after his long solo, showing off his striped head and yellow eye-patches. Spring, White Cross Trail, Mount Monadnock

A green frog (Rana clamitans melanota) in the grassy margin of Beaver Brook. This male frog (eardrum larger than its eye) has much more brown and less green than is typical for its species. Also, like all the frogs I saw at Beaver Brook that day, it is rather thin. I suspect that during the breeding season, the male frogs have not been eating much. Now that it's over, they have all summer to fatten up for hibernation. Spring, Beaver Brook Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH

Starflower (Trientalis borealis) is a very conspicuous and very common woodland flower in New Hampshire. Spring, Marion Davis Trail, Pack Monadnock

Pink ladys slipper orchid (Cypripedium acaule). New Hampshire's official state wildflower is considered threatened, and it is generally rare, but it is locally abundant in certain places, including Pack Monadnock. Spring, Marion Davis Trail, Pack Monadnock

Painted trillium (Trillium undulatum). Just about everything of the trillium is in threes: Leaves, sepals, petals, and the whorled stigma. Only the anthers are in sixes. The "undulatum" in the scientific name of this striking trillium refers to the rippled petals and leaves. Spring, Marion Davis Trail, Pack Monadnock

Sister violet (Viola sororia). The hairy leaves and flower stalks distinguish it from the nearly identical common blue violet (V. papilionacea). Violets of both types can be seen anywhere in the park that is partly sunny. They are very abundant where the Turtle Trail crosses the Millpond Trail and the power lines, and they can be seen along the banks of the Nashua Canal, especially on the west side along the Millpond Trail. Spring, Mine Falls Park

Alpine bluets (Houstonia caerulea var. Faxonorum). Virtually all bluets I ever see in New Hampshire are this white "alpine" variety, even here in Nashua, 300 feet above sea level. Spring, Mine Falls Park

Fringed polygala (Polygala panicifolia). This unusual orchid-like flower is actually related to the pea family. In Mine Falls Park, you can find them in mid-spring where the Millpond Trail leaves the power lines and enters the dense forest. Spring, Mine Falls Park

Starflower (Trientalis borealis) is a very conspicuous and very common woodland flower in New Hampshire, perhaps a little less common in Mine Falls Park than elsewhere. Spring, Mine Falls Park

A nest of eastern tent caterpillars (Malacosoma americanum). These are often mistaken for the invasive and destructive Gypsy moth caterpillar (Lymantria dispar), but the similarly hairy larvae of the Gypsy moth do not build these communal nests. Also, the native species, having plenty of natural predators, rarely increases its population to the point of being widely destructive of hardwood trees, as the Gypsy moth can. Spring, Mine Falls Park

A closer look at eastern tent caterpillars (Malacosoma americanum). These are often mistaken for the invasive and destructive Gypsy moth caterpillar (Lymantria dispar), but the similarly hairy larvae of the Gypsy moth do not build these communal nests. Also, the native species, having plenty of natural predators, rarely increases its population to the point of being widely destructive of hardwood trees, as the Gypsy moth can. Spring, Mine Falls Park

See the size difference between the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) at lower left and the green frog (Rana clamitans melanota) at upper right. Other than their voices, sizes, and a few subtle features, these two species are nearly identical. (The bullfrog is a male, as indicated by his large eardrum, and the green frog is a female, with an eardrum smaller than its eye.) Spring, Mine Falls Park

Fiddleheads of ferns poke through the leaf litter beside a dead log. Spring, Mine Falls Park.

A bumblebee (Bombus sp.) sipping nectar from a maleberry blossom (Lyonia ligustrina). Spring, Mine Falls Park

Blossoms of the maleberry bush (Lyonia ligustrina). Spring, Mine Falls Park

A moose (Alces alces) stands beside the road. Moose usually have this "mangy" look in spring as they shed their thick brown winter coats and haven't yet grown their thinner black summer coats. Spring, White Mountain National Forest

Trout lily (Erythronium americanum) sheltered under a fallen tree limb, not quite blooming. Notice the mottled leaves, reminiscent of the skin of a brook trout (whence the name). This individual plant is part of a sizeable colony of over a dozen, but this is the only one producing a blossom. It is also the only one with more than one leaf, suggesting it is the oldest one, and the others are maturing and storing energy in their bulbs so they can bloom another year. It is also the one with the best shade, which could also explain its vigor, since these plants do not tolerate direct sunlight. Spring, White Mountain National Forest.

Trout lily (Erythronium americanum) sheltered under a fallen tree limb, not quite blooming. Notice the mottled leaves, reminiscent of the skin of a brook trout (whence the name). This individual plant is part of a sizeable colony of over a dozen, but this is the only one producing a blossom. It is also the only one with more than one leaf, suggesting it is the oldest one, and the others are maturing and storing energy in their bulbs so they can bloom another year. It is also the one with the best shade, which could also explain its vigor, since these plants do not tolerate direct sunlight. Spring, White Mountain National Forest.

A colony of trout lilies (Erythronium americanum), each consisting of only one leaf and no flower buds. These plants usually grow only in deeply shadowed forests, but this colony is growing in a small grove within a broad meadow. Perhaps they are getting too much sunlight, and this is why they are doing poorly. Spring, White Mountain National Forest.

A dead turkey tail bracket fungus (Trametes versicolor) from last year. This is the one that I had seen with green alga growing on it just after the snow melted, but the spring sunshine has killed off most of the alga. The mushroom at center is the one I cut off for positive identification. Spring, Mine Falls Park.

A dead turkey tail bracket fungus (Trametes versicolor) from last year, turned upside down to show the porous underside that gives this family of fungus its name (Polyporaceae). Here it is lying on top of the oak log it had grown on. At the "top," which had been the inner edge, closest to the surface of the log, you can still see some of the green alga that had covered the fungus. Spring, Mine Falls Park.

Another view of the underside of the dead turkey tail bracket fungus (Trametes versicolor) from last year. At the "bottom," which had been the inner edge, closest to the surface of the log, you can still see some of the green alga that had covered the fungus. Spring, Mine Falls Park.

I had never seen anything like this "green bracket fungus" that appeared as the snow melted away from a long-dead log, so I invited mycologists to explain it to me. Dr. Seidl at EMLab P & K tells me, based on the pictures and my description, it's almost certainly a dead turkey tail bracket fungus (Trametes versicolor) from the previous year, overgrown with a green alga. Dr. Seidl says it's a fairly common phenomenon in the Pacific Northwest, but I've never noticed it before here in New Hampshire. At Dr. Seidl's urging, I reluctantly cut off one of the mushrooms to identify it positively, as pictured above and as described in the story, "Fungus and Fishing". Late winter, Mine Falls Park.

Another view of the puzzling "green turkey tail." It's actually a dead turkey tail bracket fungus (Trametes versicolor) from the previous year, overgrown with a green alga. Late winter, Mine Falls Park.

Another view of the puzzling "green turkey tail." It's actually a dead turkey tail bracket fungus (Trametes versicolor) from the previous year, overgrown with a green alga. Late winter, Mine Falls Park.

Another view of the puzzling "green turkey tail." It's actually a dead turkey tail bracket fungus (Trametes versicolor) from the previous year, overgrown with a green alga. Late winter, Mine Falls Park.

Another view of the puzzling "green turkey tail." It's actually a dead turkey tail bracket fungus (Trametes versicolor) from the previous year, overgrown with a green alga. Late winter, Mine Falls Park.

A mink (Mustela vison) prowls along the north shore of the Mill Pond. Late winter, Mine Falls Park

A mink (Mustela vison) prowls through the pine grove on the north shore of the Mill Pond. Late winter, Mine Falls Park

A beaver (Castor canadensis) swimming in the Mill Pond. He was still suspicious of me, and sort of sneaked along the edge of the ice a little way east of me. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

Hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus). The drab female (left) has a hood just like the males, but hers is dull reddish-brown like the rest of her plumage, while the males have bright white hoods with sharp black trim. Their "hoods" look like wide structures when seen from the side, but when seen from front or back, they are actually quite narrow. They're just crests and not "hoods." Early spring, Mine Falls Park

Hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus). These ducks are not resident on the Mill Pond, but they pass through each spring as they migrate from their winter feeding grounds along the ocean back to their breeding sites along more isolated wooded ponds. This small flock of half a dozen or so stayed for nearly a week this year, and I thought they might stay for the season. The males were aggressively displaying to one another (only one is allowed to raise his hood fully, and the one at right is clearly submissive), and braying their territorial/mating calls. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

Hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) takikng off. I was afraid this would be the last I saw of them, but they were just heading for the main body of the pond farther east. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

Hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus). Early spring, Mine Falls Park

Hooded mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) displaying their ranks. The male in the lead is the boss, with his hood fully raised. The next one is the low male on the totem pole, with his hood nearly fully retracted. The male at the rear is the chief lackey, with his hood halfway raised. The female can raise or lower her hood all she wants without fear of starting a fight. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

A mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) searches for something to eat on the partially thawed Mill Pond. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

A mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) takes a stroll on the ice on the partially thawed Mill Pond. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

Last summer's cattail (Typha latifolia) disintegrates in the late winter, scattering its fluffy seeds across the Mill Pond. Late winter, Mine Falls Park.

Last summer's cattail (Typha latifolia) disintegrates in the late winter, scattering its fluffy seeds across the Mill Pond. Late winter, Mine Falls Park.

A small stand of pitch pine (Pinus rigida) on the north shore of the Mill Pond, opposite my favorite sitting rock. The white birch (Betula papyrifera) poking out of one spot near the left is just beginning to bud. Late winter, Mine Falls Park.

Purple trillium (Trillium erectum) in bud. Spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park

A dead tree, covered with at least three different kinds of fungus, emerges from the melting snow. As the weather grows warmer and the sunlight grows stronger, snow melts away first from around trees, even dead ones, where the sun's warming effect is strongest. Spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park

A hobblebush (Viburnum alnifolium) emerges from the melting snow. Just as the snow melts away first from around standing trees, it also melts quickly where a twig touches its surface, leaving a clear impression of the horizontal branches of the hobblebush. Spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park

Mountain cranberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) barely rises above the mosses in the big meadow north of Crawford Notch. It has been green under the snow all winter long, like the mosses. Early spring, White Mountain National Forest

Mats of mountain cranberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) and mosses are liberated by the melting snow. They will soon be overshadowed by taller herbaceous plants that will dominate the meadow north of Crawford Notch. Early spring, White Mountain National Forest Downloaded 105 Times.

The buds of the hobblebush (Viburnum alnifolium) have been open this far since last fall. Now, they're about to leaf out before the snow melts away. Early spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park

The ground cedar clubmoss (Lycopodium complanatum) has been green under the snow all winter. As the snow begins to melt, it enjoys the unfettered spring sunshine with other, less hardy plants. Early spring, White Mountain National Forest

An eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) sits in a white birch (Betula papyrifera) on the lookout for insects. Spring, Mine Falls Park

Pink ladys slipper orchid (Cypripedium acaule) almost ready to bloom, surrounded by budding Canada mayflowers (Maianthemum canadense). Spring, Mine Falls Park

Pink ladys slipper orchid (Cypripedium acaule) almost ready to bloom, surrounded by budding Canada mayflowers (Maianthemum canadense). These orchids are rather rare in Mine Falls Park. Spring, Mine Falls Park

Painted trillium (Trillium undulatum). Notice the rippled leaves and petals that give this plant is scientific name. Spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park

Purple trillium (Trillium erectum). Spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park

A grove of pitch pine (Pinus rigida) across the narrow bay of the Mill Pond from my favorite sitting rock. The Mill Pond is free of ice, but the hardwood trees are still leafless and the ground cover is still brown. Early spring, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 143 Times.

White pines (Pinus strobus) stand like green towers over the shore of the Mill Pond, while the hardwoods put on the first blush of spring buds. Spring, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 114 Times.

The annual greening of the forest floor begins with unfurling fern fiddleheads, Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense) leaves, and other plants that survive the winter as underground rhizomes. Spring, Mine Falls Park

Duckweed (Lemna minor) emerges from winter dormancy before the snow has melted completely. It is one of the first green things to appear in spring. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

A mayfly makes its final moult, transforming from aquatic larva to winged adult, at the surface of the pond. With no solid object to support it, it can only use the surface tension of the water to stand on as it pulls itself out of its old skin. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

Having shed its last larval skin but not yet able to fly, the mayfly uses its wings to motor along the surface of the Mill Pond and find a safe twig to climb out of the water before a fish is attracted by its struggles. Early spring, Mine Falls Park

The silver maple (Acer saccharinum) turns white, showing the underside of its leaves, right before a thunderstorm. This is not some mystical power of the silver maple, but a consequence of its normal growth. Its leaves are angled to be stable in the prevailing winds, but an unusual wind, such as the gusts preceding a thunderstorm, makes the leaves flutter or turn over completely, revealing their silvery undersides. Spring, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 300 Times.

A garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) basking beside the trail. Spring, Beaver Brook Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH Downloaded 142 Times.

The Beaver Brook area has more thoroughly mixed groundcover than most places I know. Instead of a wide swath of one plant here and another there, all types of plants are everywhere! In this picture, we see New Hampshire's ubiquitous Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense), Beaver Brook's equally ubiquitous partridge berry (Mitchella repens), numerous fringed polygala (Polygala panicifolia), and quite a few other small plants. Spring, Beaver Brook Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH Downloaded 501 Times.

This stand of various clubmosses is just about the largest and densest that I know of. It forms a veritable ankle-high forest, and it contains all three species of clubmoss that I know, ground pine (Lycopodium clavatum), ground cedar (L. complanatum), and shining clubmoss (L. lucidulum). It also contains the largest specimens I know of ground pine and ground cedar clubmosses. Spring, Ripley Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park Downloaded 371 Times.

A field of lupines (Lupinus perennis). Some are white when they first open, passing through pink before they become purple. Early summer, Crawford Notch Downloaded 128 Times.

Close-up of ferns and mosses, mid-spring, Crawford Notch Downloaded 159 Times.

Moss, ground pine clubmoss (Lycopodium clavatum), lichen, and hemlock seedlings (Tsuga canadensis) on an undercut bank, late winter, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 155 Times.

Ground-pine clubmoss (Lycopodium clavatum), late winter, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 138 Times.

Chipmunk (Tamias striatus), late spring, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 196 Times.