• Wednesday-What'sUP May 28 - 04:44 pm

Bob Gilreath recently took a walk in the woods to see what it looks like again without snow and he found that the forest floor is slowly coming to life…hooray! That can only mean that Spring really is here to stay.

He found trees sprouting, mushrooms clinging, and flowers, too. I think the flower in the fourth photo is a Trout Lily, commonly referred to as a dog's tooth lily, at least that's what we call them.

The last two photos were snapped by Barb Bouwkamp while she was out exploring, too. I just love crocuses and can never get enough of them. It's just too bad they don't last very long. That's where Barb's photos come in to preserve them for future enjoyment.

It's so great to see things greening up and blooming once again here in the Keweenaw, it's a beautiful time of year.. Spring has finally sprung!

Good to see Spring has sprung in the U.P.!

I know that flower by both names. I saw lots of them near my
daughter's place in National Mine when we were there last week.
Has anyone seen spring beauties (arbutus) yet?

Beautiful pictures!! It's so wonderful to see
spring back. Of course, we seem to have skipped
spring again and fast forwarded right into summer.

Beautiful pictures, great close-ups~ Thank you Bob G and Barb and Mary!

Very nice and the second pic looks like bagels.
Just imagine if you please, bagels and cream cheese trees?

Quiet beauty!

Was in the Copper Country over this past weekend. My wife and granddaughter found arbutus about
4 miles north of Hancock on the old family property.
One little blossom was all they dared to pick--endangered species. The "aroma" is really something. They are not as easily found as back in the 1940s and earlier.

A very nice set of pictures showing the forest floor taking on a new look and the greening of the UP starting.
Kosk In Toronto: Small world, I was born raised in National Mine.

Tom: I'm glad your family had a chance to see and smell arbutus.
It usually blooms about this time of year out near my dad's camp,
but I did not see any before we left.

Third picture looks like Lycopodium...club moss...very interesting part of the North woods plant community!

I agree, Gormfrog. Club moss and ground pine are both great
favorites of mine. I remember writing reports about them when I
was in grade school. Saw them last week when I was in the U.P.

An edible form of mushrooms grow on old, dead hickory tree trunks and stumps here in Ohio called "Hickory Jacks". They are delicious when picked very young and sliced and then fried in butter. Years ago I used to pick them at my campsite in the foothills of the Appalachians in southern Ohio, and in the woods north of Dayton at a historic farm-pubic park where morels are also found.

Spring at last!