During my visit to Centennial Woods on this rainy day, there were many signs of life! The birds were singing, buds were bursting and the stream was running. When I first walked up to my site, I noticed a Pileated Woodpecker had been drilling holes into some of the Eastern White Pines in search of food. Droplets of sap had gathered into large gobs at the base of each hole as the tree made an effort to heal its wounds and protect itself from diseases.
Although there were not any spring wildflowers poking up through the leaf litter, there were a handful of ferns adding green to the understory. Today, they were flattened by the heavy rain, but they carry promises of warmer days to come.
The buds of the American Beech had begun to burst and shades of light green were spilling out into the fresh air. Similarly, one of the Sugar Maples were beginning to open and will most likely burst on the next warm day.
The stream was full of energy after many days of rain, and created bubbles to add to the ripples coating the surface. Despite its high velocity, the water remained clear enough to view the rocks glistening at its bottom.