The Nature of Water

This is a waterlily (lotus) that I photographed last year at Heald Pond in Wilton. Right now, lotuses are just buds on the water.

It is a warm and sunny Monday. I'm not a lover of heat so I was drawn to the watery habitats in the area - the brooks, ponds, swamps and wetlands (yes, there is a difference between the last two). I spent most of the late morning noting the best areas to find lotus blossoms for photographing in July, documenting hatchling turtles leaving the nest, and feeding Canadian goslings . Yes, I live a charmed life on occasion.

I started off looking for lotus buds. They look like little yellow and pink fishing bobbers on the ponds right now. I hunt for concentrations of them so I can go back to that spot for the couple of weeks in July when they will be in full healthy bloom. While walking a sandy bank to a swamp, I found a hole in the sand at my feet, just dug that morning. I followed tiny scrapings in the sand to the water's edge to find tiny painted turtles who were completely new to the sun and water world that they'll spend the rest of their lives in. Adorable, right?

And just to drive the 'adorable' home in your heart - here's some fluffy Canadian Goslings to take a *chuckle* GANDER at! Hehehehe Ok, that was a really bad pun and I'm sorry. :)
Now for some reason, I can't get the blog text to line up with the photos, so the next photo is below. This bullfrog needed a time in the limelight. He just chillaxed by my side as I took pictures of turtles and watersnakes. However, he's no William.

And to wrap up a picture of water life taken from the shoreline, I have a picture I took last year and is admittedly one of my favorites. This is a Northern Water Snake. These guys are not poisonous, but they do have anticoagulant in their fangs that makes a bite slow to heal. I handle them rarely because they are quick to strike and musk.

A Few Spring Flowers

The lovely tree above was taken last week at the gardens of Maple Farm; Beaver Brook, Hollis. This is one of my favorite haunts. I'm not sure what this tree is really. It's aroma was absolutely heavenly however and reached to the back of the gardens. The scent reminded me of gardenias.


To the left you'll see the current winner of the garden popularity contest; the 'Bleeding Heart'. I saw these once in a greenhouse a few years back, but not in any garden. Now, I see them everywhere. Let's face it, anything mildly dramatic in name or nature always makes it big. This shot was taken from the Maple Hill Gardens.

Of course, I can't mention spring flowers without another glimpse of my favorite, the trillium. I saw my first trillium about 4 years ago - all white and solitary in the forest. Something enchanted me about it and I've been obsessed with them ever since. From my research on trying to cultivate a wild one, I've learned they are the official provincial flower of Quebec and are illegal to pick there. Considering my ancestry is from Quebec (both native and french immigrant) I found it suspiciously coincidental that it should speak to me so loudly. :) This is a painted trillium from the Heald Tract - where I've had most of my wildlife adventures.

And lastly, the New Hampshire state flower; the Purple Lilac. Trilliums may be my favorite, but these still top the list of the most enticing scent! You can't really drive down any street in Milford without seeing a big bush of these purple air fresheners in someone's yard.

The American Toad

We get a great deal of these amazing toads in NH throughout the warm months. The american toad can range from the size of a thumbtack head to an obese sumo-like toad that surpasses your palm in girth. For the most part they are calm and this makes them great for photographs.

This little troll was trying her best to hide under a stick half her size on the Heald Tract Conservation Land in Wilton. She had just finished laying her eggs in an unseen vernal pool and was returning to her terrestrial life in the forest.




And I can't end my tiny tribute to the American Toad without sharing this image I took of my best friend Janna from the same trail taken last year.




No, it didn't work.