Day 127 > Giant White Trilliums

The appearance of spring wildflowers is always quite a spectacle with so many colors and shapes bringing life back to the forest but as spectacular as all these plants are it with the blooming of the Giant White Trillium that Mother Nature really pulls out all the stops. Huge white flowers atop tall, sturdy stalks growing in bunches under the trees put on a show unmatched for the rest of the season (with the possible exception of some of the native wild orchids).
As I was shooting this photo I heard something rustling in the leaves nearby but was concentrating on the shot and didn't look. It wasn't until after I'd taken the shot that I noticed the small American Toad that had hopped into the scene in the lower left-hand corner of the frame.
Shooting Triliums is tricky business. Because of their large size and pure white color and the extreme contrast between sun and shade surrounding them, they wreck havoc with the camera's metering system making a little experimentation with exposure compensation a must in order to avoid overexposure of the flower's petals. This compensation corrects the exposure in the brightest areas but unfortunately somewhat darkens the photo overall causing even more detail to be lost in the shadows. This is where photoshop comes in handy!

Day 126 > Reflecting On A Rainy Day

On the edge of the Baird Creek Parkway I noticed this tree, hanging with little yellow catkins and reflecting so nicely on the surface of the pond it grew at the edge of. It was a dark, rainy morning but the scene would not have been the same had it not been so dreary.

Day 125 > Morel Mushroom

One of the most sought after wild mushrooms, the morel is said to be delicious although I've never had the pleasure of eating one. The area I found this one in had obviously had many more mushrooms popping up through the leaf litter but somebody had already collected them this morning.

Day 124 > Under The Mayapples

This month Mayapples join the wildflowers in livening up the spring woods, forming large, attractive clusters that resemble forests of miniature umbrella shaped trees. The plants will soon produce a single, large and fragrant white flower below it's leaves and eventually a small edible fruit from which it takes it's name. Mayapples are quite interesting to see from above but I thought it might be even more interesting to see these unique plants from a more unusual perspective. As with the bird's nest photo of a few days ago, I was unable to actually look through the camera to compose the shot because, in this case, the camera was resting on the ground pointed up and I had to shoot blind, rely on trial and error to get the shot I was envisioning.

Day 123 > Backyard Wren

Though not always so easily spotted, the little House Wren makes it's presence in the yard known as it pours forth a bubbling torrent of song that, in spring, continues nearly nonstop from dawn to dusk.

Day 122 > Spring Ephemerals: Spring Beauties

Another of the common spring wild flowers in Wiscon sin's forests. Spring Beauties are quite small but are worth getting down on hands and knees for a closer look.

Day 121 > American Robin: The Next Generation

On yester day's walk I quite unexpect edly came eye to eye with the mother Robin sitting on this nest. The tree holding the nest grows right alongside the trail and as I passed it I just happened to glance to my right to find the bird staring at me not more than a few arms lengths away. I took a few more steps trying not to make it obvious I had seen the bird and then carefully turned with camera ready. I had just composed a nice shot and began to squeeze the shutter release when Mother Robin decided this was not good and off she went leaving me with a nice photo of a nest and the bottom half of the fleeing bird.
This morning I had reason to be back in the vicinity of this trail so I stopped by for a quick walk so I could give it a second try. I found the bird on the nest as expected but once again she was having nothing to do with the human with the big camera pointed at her and off she went...twice.
I was disappointed not to have gotten the shot after having gone to the trouble of returning but then it occurred to me that there was another opportunity to be had. With the bird away I was able to approach the nest but found that it was actually just a bit too high in the tree. It may look like I climbed the tree but no...I shot this blind with the camera held above the nest and somehow I managed to get the perfect image. I'll return to this spot in a while to see about capturing (so to speak) the new hatchlings.