Soon after we vanished into the woods, we came upon this tiny clearing. It was full of ferns. They made such a lovely backdrop that I had to snap a shot. I’ve accumulated a large number of lovely photos this summer; I’m using quite a few of them as desktop backgrounds. Most of them are flowers. I’m thinking of posting them all as a separate photo study. If anyone wants any shots they see - let me know the size of your desktop, and I’ll send them to you by email.

When I looked up from the gorgeous ferns, I was confronted by what can only be described as a wild man - a denizen of the deep forests and wilderness paths. I couldn’t help but think of how uncannily like Doug he looked! *blink*

On the dappled forest floor, underneath the trailside growth, hides a tiny dewberry - stark red in so much green.

The forest is riddled with old, crumbled down stone walls. At one time, these woods were fields, and early farmers pastured their herds in them. Stone walls marked the boundaries. Now, what’s left of all of their work is a line of stones, hidden by moss and leaves - vanishing into the underbrush.

This is the same stone wall as the one in the above picture, from a different angle. What you’re seeing is the roots from an old tree which was once growing on the stone wall, and which fell prey to age and time, perhaps with the help of a storm. The roots, which still have rocks from the wall embedded here and there, rise like a gate beside the path.

Tiny red Pigeon berries and blossoms decorate a dappled forest floor. To the middle right, a Checkerberry tempts me with its wintergreen flavored leaves.

The silent, peaceful forest … home to whispering breezes, bird song, and the chittering of little squirrels, who like to remind you that you’re intruding into their domain. The only thing prettier than sunlight dappling a woodland floor, is sunlight dancing on an open lake.

With the quiet coolness of the woods behind us, Birdsfoot Trefoil lines the path home with bright and cheerful color.

Blue spruce rise majestically into the sky, filling the air with an aromatic piney scent, and gladdening the eye with unusual blue needles.