Lines for a cold May

question mark butterfly

first clear day in weeks
butterflies walk slowly over
the dry forest floor

interrupted forest

interrupted ferns’
delicate tips are still clenched
against the cold

pink lady's-slipper orchid

in the cold wind
a gnat clings to a bobbing
pink lady’s-slipper

leaf pond

tent caterpillars
the vernal pond quakes under
a coat of leaf-pieces

oak apple gall

oak apple gall
I bend down for a closer look
such a fresh green globe

The first two photos are from last week; the others are from yesterday evening.

9 Replies to “Lines for a cold May”

  1. Especially love the tent caterpillar confetti.
    I can’t believe you are getting lady slippers so early. Actually, given your deer population, I can’t believe you are getting lady slippers at all. Is this in your “exclosure?”

  2. Actually, they’re right on time. We’ve always had a lot of them, even when our deer numbers were at their height, but they’ve really proliferated as the herd has dwindled. One finds a few nipped blossoms, but I don’t think they’re very tasty.

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