wildflower-spotting

[wildflower-spotting]

sunday, march 17 @ phipps

my first solo morning walk at phipps - i was actually really anxious during much of it because when i pulled into the parking lot, it was almost full despite it being 8:30am! there were a number of campers and other cars with bikes on them, as well as inflatable and stands being set up for the local biking organization and maybe some organized bike ride?

i smiled and nodded and fast walked my way to the usual path i take, but then throughout the walk, i got nervous hearing the voice on the microphone ring through the park and kept worrying about there being a race that would take over the trail and feeling like i would be in the way. i realized a lot of this was the fear that i would be in the way, that i would inconvenience others, that i was breaking the rules, that i was doing something wrong or bad and that they would reprimand me for it. i just couldn't refrain from my thoughts spiraling into all the potential scenarios where someone would tell me off or everyone would whizz by on their bike and hurl accusations or tell me off for not respecting the event and being in the way. it didn't help that i didn't see any people on the trail until i had almost completed a full loop - something that rarely happens, but was particularly off putting given all the cars in the parking lot.

anyway, the air was surprisingly cool when i set out and there was a lovely morning chill in the air, despite my long sleeve and long leggings. of course by the end, i was damp with sweat, hair plastered to my forehead and hat uncomfortably wet from all my sweat.

i like to start off by venturing left into the more forested area to start with, that intersects with the east loop. this is a less disturbed area, although still with a clear major path. the common violets are still all around the path, clearly liking the darkness of the forest edges. there were also noticeable white buds of southern dewberries, although the common violets were the most plentiful - i noticed there were at least two general shades, a lighter lavender and a darker purple. there were also other light purple flowers - i was surprised to see quite a few lyreleaf sages (mostly still growing, more leaves than full blooms like in our neighborhood) along the beginning of the path. once i turned out into the main meadow, i realized there were a few smatterings of hop trefoil among all the clover and some common dandelions.

i saw a few (literally less than a handful) of fallen yellow jessamine flowers and honestly didn't notice any still on the vines or trees. i didn't stop to look for them in the usual areas, since i think much of that time, i was engrossed in my thoughts - feeling greedy for this previous solitude, but also increasingly consumed by worries about future traveling problems and the biking event.

before i arrived, my plan was to do the usual lake loop i do with the fins, but i was increasingly nervous about the bike ride (and kept telling myself it was unlikely to start at 9am given the lack of people, so my target would be to finish walking by 9:30am and hopefully not run into people) so i cowardly took the shortcut by the horse meadow that mom and i usually take. i was also berating myself in my head about how i could have simply asked and for all the poor excuses i had for being in the way, but feeling stuck.

anyway, in that initial turn while still under the large oak trees with plentiful spanish moss draped artfully over them, i noticed a few small yellow flowers on the cleared ground - my app identified them as straggler daisy (calyptocarpus vialis). i also noticed three large crimson bulbs of what looked like american trumpet vine but couldn't for the life of me actually spot the flowers on the trees.

when i first set out, the air was cool and i felt fresh from the morning air and the slight chill. by this point, despite being in the forested area still, the intermittent sunlight was already a little disruptive and i was damp with sweat. i finally ran into one person, then a second, both walking their dogs when i was almost at the end of the shortcut and about to turn back onto the west loop. i felt such relief at spotting the people - feeling like we would both be in the way together.

shortly after i turned back on the west loop (but before the third parking lot intersection), i noticed large clouds of purple flowers - my app couldn't identify them, but they looked like the bean version of hydrangeas. or hyacinths. there were branches with a number of purple legume buds (very bean like) that decreased in size as you got to the end of the branch. a mystery!

the azaleas in front of my house are in full bloom - the bright pink and magenta burst is magnificent when you go up the driveway (and full of bumblebees right now), as well as through the window.